"The time should be up."
"Win or lose, they should be coming up now."
At Marine Headquarters, amidst the bustling Marines, Sengoku spoke with a stern expression.
Behind him, organized chaos reigned.
Marines were clearing the battlefield, capturing the last of the fleeing Whitebeard Pirates while organizing rapid medical aid for the injured.
In short, there was much to do, yet Sengoku could not calm his nerves.
His eyes repeatedly scanned the sea, for he knew—this war was not truly over yet.
"Let's hope no accidents occurred," Tsuru murmured solemnly.
"Yes," Garp replied, gazing out at the ocean, a gnawing anxiety in his gut.
All across the world, countless civilians, pirates, and dignitaries had their eyes fixed on Marineford.
The final outcome they had been waiting for was about to be revealed.
The waterproof spray's time limit was up.
Suddenly— Splash!
With the sound of spraying water, Akainu was the first to climb out of the sea.
In one arm, he held an unconscious figure.
"That's 'Flower Sword' Vista! Commander of the Fifth Division of the Whitebeard Pirates!" some Marines couldn't help but exclaim.
Immediately, smiles broke out on the faces of Sengoku and the others.
Akainu snorted coldly and tossed the unconscious Vista onto the ground.
"We failed to captured Whitebeard."
Soon after, Aokiji, Kizaru, and the Seraphim returned as well.
The Seraphim held the captured Fire Fist Ace and Aokiji had the frozen form of Straw Hat Luffy slung over his shoulder.
"Eh? Ace? And Straw Hat Luffy! Hahahahahahahaha!" Seeing this, Sengoku threw his head back and laughed heartily.
Fire Fist Ace had been the spark that ignited this war. Bringing him back meant that the Whitebeard Pirates had ultimately lost this battle.
Not to mention, they had also captured Vista, one of Whitebeard's elite commanders.
As for Straw Hat Luffy—what a surprise!
Luffy was the son of Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
Capturing him held immense strategic significance.
If executing Ace was meant to deal with the old era of pirates, executing Luffy could be a direct strike against the world's most wanted criminal.
To the World Government, Dragon's revolutionary movement posed a far greater existential threat than any pirate crew.
But...
Sengoku shot a meaningful glance at Garp, whose face had turned extremely grim.
Though he said nothing, the violent rise and fall of his chest betrayed his inner turmoil.
"Sigh..." Sengoku sighed softly, his gaze complex as it fell on Luffy.
He was the grandson of his longtime comrade, but he was also a rapidly growing threat.
'I'll have to take it one step at a time', Sengoku thought to himself.
"Not only did we successfully capture Fire Fist Ace, but even the potential 'threat' Straw Hat Luffy has fallen into our hands! We are the true victors of this battle!"
The Marines erupted in cheers.
At that moment, the entire world boiled over with excitement.
"We won! The Marines have won!"
"Long live Dr. Leon! It's all thanks to his technological inventions that they reversed the situation!"
"Leon! Leon! Leon!"
At that moment, Leon's name was being cheered across the globe.
Everyone knew that when the Marines were on the verge of collapse, it was Leon who had arrived with the Seraphim Overlord and turned the tide of the battle.
And when the pirates were about to escape, it was Leon again who produced the waterproof spray, giving the Marines the means to pursue and secure this ultimate victory.
In an instant, Leon—the eight-year-old hailed as the God of Technology—was regarded as a hero by countless ordinary people, worshipped and admired by millions.
....
As for the Red Hair Pirates and the Revolutionaries, their expressions were dark as the night sky.
"Dammit, Capturing the Whitebeard pirates was one thing, but they even captured Luffy!" Dragon's face was livid.
Shanks similarly watched the screen with a gloomy expression, saying nothing.
"We have to save Luffy!" Lucky Roo said, his face anxious.
"And Ace!" Yasopp added.
Hearing them speak up, the other crew members and revolutionary officers nodded in agreement.
"Alright, calm down," Benn Beckman's steady voice cut through the tension.
"The Marines won't kill them immediately. This will require a long-term strategy." He looked at his captain and Dragon.
"You've now witnessed the Marines' strength—they're even more powerful than the Whitebeard Pirates. We must not act recklessly."
The two leaders nodded heavily.
"Then let's plan what to do next," Benn Beckman said slowly.
.....
Meanwhile, Kaido and his crew were also shocked while feeling immense pressure.
That kid kept inventing technological marvels one after another with terrifying efficiency, sending chills down their spines.
It was because of him that the Marines had achieved such a victory.
After a long silence, Kaido spoke gravely.
"Let's discuss how to deal with the Marines."
*****
"Hahaha! I thought the Marines had already lost, but who would have thought Leon would come up with such an invention! The Marines completely turned the tide of the battle!"
Deep within Mary Geoise, one of the Five Elders laughed heartily.
"Indeed. His waterproof spray made a great contribution, but in my opinion, the Seraphim Overlord played an even bigger role in this war!"
"Exactly! If the Overlord hadn't appeared, the Marines would have been defeated long ago."
"Once again, Leon has delivered—he did excellently!" The faces of the Five Elders were filled with ecstatic joy.
"Let's go and meet him!"
They happily opened an anywhere door and stepped through one after another.
....
At that moment, at Marineford.
"Leon, we owe you yet again!" Sengoku said with a smile.
"On behalf of myself and the Five Elders, I'd like to express our gratitude for your contributions—" Before Sengoku could finish, a voice abruptly cut him off.
"No need, Sengoku. We're already here."
"Hm?" Sengoku, Leon, and the others all turned to look.
Where there had been empty space moments before, a pink door now appeared.
The door swung open, and the Five Elders stepped out.
"Elders!" The many Marines quickly saluted.
The Five Elders nodded casually toward the Marines before turning their attention to Leon.
"Leon..."
"Elders," Leon replied with a smile.
"We watched the entire battle from start to finish. Once again, you've rendered an immense service!"
Leon smiled but neither confirmed nor denied it.
"Leon, tell us, what reward would you like?" The Five Elders held this peerless young genius in extremely high regard.
"I want..." Leon grinned mischievously. "Research funding, of course! This time, I need 300 billion Berries. I've recently had two new ideas for inventions."
As soon as these words were spoken, the Five Elders who had been stunned by the amount, immediately shifted to astonishment.
"Two new inventions?! What are they?"
Instantly, not only the Five Elders but everyone present looked at him with curiosity.
"Ah, that's a secret," he chuckled slyly, a mysterious expression on his face.
In truth, he was preparing to develop two new products.
The first was a Third Devil Fruit, which would grant a dual-ability user the power to wield a third ability.
The second was inspired by the "Monster Cells" from the anime One Punch Man, a substance that could grant a qualitative leap in strength but came with a high risk of failure.
A single cell would cost 10 billion Berries to produce and it was a complete gamble.
But Leon believed the World Government would be willing to accept the risk.
"300 billion Berries..." The Five Elders felt immense pressure.
They exchanged glances but eventually nodded, gritting their teeth.
"Fine! No problem. We'll get the funds to you as soon as possible."
Then, Ethanbaron V Nusjuro turned to Sengoku.
"Sengoku, deal with the Four Emperors and seize their treasures. That way, the Marine Corps and Dr. Leon's research won't face such heavy financial pressure."
"Understood!" Sengoku nodded.
With the Overlord, he felt confident in confronting any force in the world.
"We must continue to find ways to gather more funds," Warcury said solemnly.
"Right!" Ju Peter eyes lit up. "We can also seek out the 'Gold Emperor' Tesoro, the tycoon who controls a quarter of the world's wealth!"
Upon hearing this, the others' eyes also brightened.
"Brilliant idea!"
After a brief discussion, the Five Elders said a few more words to Sengoku and then left through the anywhere door.
....
On the other side of the world.
"Dammit! Ace! Vista!" Whitebeard's face was as dark as storm clouds.
Nearby, Zoro, Sanji, and the others also wore grim expressions.
Their captain, Luffy, had also fallen into the Marines' hands.
"No! We have to save Luffy!" Zoro struggled to his feet despite his injuries, his voice hoarse.
"If I can't even protect my captain, what right do I have to claim I'll become the world's greatest swordsman?!"
"Huff... Count me in," Sanji said, lighting a cigarette, his face weary but resolute.
"Wha—? We're going back to Marineford to save Luffy? Isn't that too dangerous? Or... or maybe we should think of another way? Hey, I'm not scared... Ah, damn it, I'll risk it too! I'm going!" Usopp staggered, his legs trembling violently.
"Me too!" All the crew members stood up one after another, their resolve firm.
"Brats! Sit down!" Whitebeard roared.
"Even if I went back now, it would be a suicide mission. What do you think you can accomplish by going there?" His eyes blazed with anger as he coldly rebuked them.
"But—"
"No buts!" Whitebeard cut them off sharply. "Don't worry. Captives aren't usually executed immediately. We still have time."
Looking around, Whitebeard saw that almost all of them were severely injured.
Marco was rushing to heal them, but beyond the physical wounds, their spirits were crushed, their faces gloomy and dejected.
"My children," Whitebeard said, his voice softening slightly.
"This defeat doesn't mean we'll lose forever. As long as we rapidly develop our technology..." He finally turned his gaze to Miss Bakkin.
"Miss Bakkin, what do we need to do for our forces to defeat the Marines?"
A moment later, under everyone's watchful eyes, Miss Bakkin slowly rose to her feet...
-----------------------------
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