"Why are you here?"
Sengoku's voice fell from the warship. He had imagined many possibilities. For example, Garp might fail to find Whitebeard and the others and return empty-handed.
Or Garp might successfully find them and fight them to the death.
But he alone had not expected that Whitebeard and the others, who should have been prey fleeing in panic, would actually turn back.
No... not "the others." Only Whitebeard?
Sengoku's eyes quickly swept over the shoreline behind Whitebeard. There was no second figure.
Why had Whitebeard returned alone?
Had he thrown away his dead weight so he could fight at full strength?
The moment that thought appeared, Sengoku instinctively rejected it.
He understood Whitebeard. He was not a battle maniac. Under normal circumstances, he would never turn back like this.
In that case, there was only one truth.
A faint smile slowly appeared on Sengoku's face. He looked at Whitebeard and spoke blandly. "Where are the others? Hiding? Planning to wait until I fight you, then sneak in and seize the Heavenly Tribute?"
Whitebeard's expression remained calm after the plan was seen through. Honestly, anyone with a bit of brains could guess that his sudden return was suspicious. He had never expected to hide it from Sengoku.
"That's right," Whitebeard admitted in a deep voice.
Sengoku stood on the ship's railing and walked slowly along the side of the ship. His tone was composed. "Your idea does have some feasibility, but not much. And the time left to you is limited."
As soon as he finished speaking, he did not give Whitebeard any time to respond. He turned sharply and shouted orders to the Marines behind him.
"Listen to my command! Move the warship back three nautical miles! All cannon muzzles, fire upward!"
The instant the order came, mechanical rumbling exploded.
The engines of the World Government warship roared, white waves churning at the stern as the huge hull moved backward.
At the same time, cannon after cannon lifted their muzzles toward the sky.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Black cannonballs dragging trails of fire shot into the air, drew arcs in the sky, and fell. Explosions rang out one after another.
Whitebeard's gaze sank slightly. Just as Sengoku said, they did not have much time. Once Garp on the island heard the commotion, he would return immediately.
Moreover, the World Government warship had already retreated to a certain distance from the shore. If Whitebeard forcibly used the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, the waves and shockwaves he raised might affect Ron and the others.
"How crafty," Whitebeard cursed under his breath.
Ron and the others stopped hiding and quickly came to Whitebeard's side.
Sengoku was worthy of being called the "Resourceful General" later on. In just a short while, he had reversed an unfavorable situation and thrown the problem back to Ron's side.
"We don't have much time. We must make an attempt before Garp gets back. If we can't succeed in the end, we retreat. Understood?" Whitebeard instructed from the side.
But just as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt his waist tighten.
Whitebeard looked down and saw Ron's beast claw, in Tailed Beast Transformation, gripping his belt tightly.
"Hey, Ron, what are you doing?" Whitebeard asked in surprise.
"Aren't we short on time?" Ron's voice sounded. "Then obviously we go straight in. I don't want this trip to be for nothing."
With that, Ron directly threw Whitebeard toward the World Government warship.
"You bastard!"
Whitebeard cursed, but quickly adjusted his posture. He flipped his body in midair, gripped his naginata with both hands, and let Haki spread over the blade. At the end of the blade, a white energy sphere condensed at the same time. It was the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Meanwhile, Ron did not stop. He grabbed Kaido and Stussy next.
"Hey, hey, hey, can't I wait for you here?" Stussy waved both hands wildly in the air. "Or... at least throw accurately, Ron!"
Kaido, on the other hand, showed no fear. Instead, he looked as if he had been injected with chicken blood, lifting his kanabo high and shouting excitedly, "Charge! Charge! Ron, let's charge!"
"I never should have come with you..." Stussy closed her eyes in despair.
Ron did not throw both of them over. He held the two of them, pushed off with all four limbs, and sprinted across the sea in his Tailed Beast form, charging toward the warship at full speed.
In midair, Whitebeard had already closed in on the warship.
Sengoku looked up, the descending figure reflected in his pupils.
"These lunatics!" Sengoku cursed. At the same time, he activated his Devil Fruit ability without hesitation.
Golden light burst forth.
A massive golden Buddha rose from the deck. Its palm opened, and Haki covered the huge golden fist like black armor.
Sengoku locked onto Whitebeard's trajectory and punched upward.
Thud!
Fist and blade collided in midair.
A deafening muffled boom echoed across the sea. The terrifying aftershock spread outward like a tsunami.
The air around the warship was squeezed into visible ripples, and the sea surface was pressed into a huge depression as waves rolled to both sides.
Under the massive impact, the deck under Sengoku's feet cracked instantly. The entire warship clearly sank a little, the hull giving off a harsh groan.
"Hah!"
"Aah!"
Both sides increased their power at the same time. Whitebeard's naginata pressed down an inch, while Sengoku's fist pushed up two inches.
The energy aftershock released even more violently. Pieces of the deck were torn up, swept into the air, and shredded.
After several seconds of deadlock, the floor under Sengoku finally could not hold.
Crack... boom!
The floor collapsed, and Sengoku fell together with the shattered deck.
Whitebeard took advantage of the moment to withdraw his strength and land steadily on the deck. His naginata lay across in front of him as he stared at the massive smoking hole before him.
Before the dust scattered, a dazzling golden light suddenly shot out from the hole.
Whoosh!
Sengoku leaped out of the hole, swiftly adjusting his body in midair. His gaze swept around like lightning.
Ron in Tailed Beast Transformation was gone.
Kaido was gone.
Stussy was gone too.
Sengoku's face instantly darkened.
There was no need to think. Those three had already slipped into the warship's interior while he was clashing with Whitebeard.
"Damn it." Sengoku landed and returned to human form, growling through gritted teeth. "It absolutely cannot be lost in my hands!"
He turned and was about to rush into the cabin.
But at that moment, a tall figure appeared behind him.
"Sengoku," Whitebeard said slowly, "I haven't fallen yet."
-------------------------------------
Inside the warship.
Ron, Kaido, and Stussy were running wildly.
The corridors were narrow and winding, with iron doors every certain distance.
Decks, stairs, corridors, cabins-the three of them were like a red-hot blade cutting into butter. Wherever they passed, everything was left in ruins.
Alarm sounds echoed throughout the warship, and red warning lights flashed madly.
In only a short while, the interior was already in total chaos.
"Left, left! No, right!" Kaido shouted commands from behind.
"Shut up! Just follow Ron!" Stussy snapped back while panting.
Boom!
With a loud crash, the largest and strongest iron door inside was smashed down by one punch from Ron.
Behind the door was a huge cargo hold.
Treasure chests piled like small mountains were neatly stacked on both sides.
"Hahahaha! We're rich!" Stussy was so happy she could not close her mouth. Her eyes glowed as she rushed into the cargo hold in a few steps, pulled a sack from her waist, opened a treasure chest, squatted down, and began frantically stuffing things inside.
Ron and Kaido, however, were not drawn to the glittering gold.
The two rushed to the chests in perfect sync. They quickly opened one lid. No Devil Fruit, just gold coins. Close. Open the second. Still none, only jewels. Close. Open the third...
"Ron," Kaido asked while searching, uncertainty in his voice, "our previous cooperation agreement... still counts, right?"
"Don't question my integrity." Ron did not raise his head, his hands never stopping. "Hurry up and search. Don't get distracted."
"What are you looking for?" An unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded in the cargo hold. "Perhaps I can help you."
Ron froze. His hands stopped.
He instinctively looked toward the voice. About three meters away, behind an iron railing, a woman with pink hair was gripping the bars. A bomb collar was around her neck, and her eyes were fixed on him without blinking.
A slave?
That thought flashed through Ron's mind. He withdrew his gaze and reopened another nearby chest. Still, he casually asked, "Do you know which chest has fruit in it?"
The pink-haired woman did not answer immediately. She was silent for a few seconds, as if considering the meaning of Ron's words.
Then she slowly spoke. "Do you mean... a strange fruit with patterns?"
Ron's hand froze in midair.
He slowly raised his head and looked at the pink-haired woman again.