Raynor did not stop Whitebeard as he walked away.
Just now, he indeed had a fleeting thought of eliminating Whitebeard to prevent future trouble.
But he quickly abandoned that idea.
Raynor knew deeply that his true enemy was not Whitebeard, nor Rocks.
It was the World Government that had stood for 800 years, the Five Elders, and the mysterious Imu.
Of course, an ambitious man like Rocks had to die.
His existence blocked Raynor's path.
But Whitebeard was different. His only desires were strength and family.
He didn't have much ambition for wealth, status, or the world.
Even in the future, when he became one of the Four Emperors ruling the seas, this remained true.
And it was precisely the existence of people like him that could help Raynor share some of the pressure from the World Government.
As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend!
...
In the sea dozens of miles away from the Kast Kingdom.
A full ten Marine warships were sailing at full speed!
On the deck of each warship, hundreds of heavily armed Marine soldiers gripped their flintlock rifles, ready for battle.
A chilling atmosphere permeated the scene.
On the bow of the lead warship stood two men.
Both wore Justice coats emblazoned with the word 'Justice'.
One had purple hair, wore black sunglasses, and had a stern expression on his gaunt face.
The other was tall, broad-chested, with exaggerated muscles and short black hair.
These two were none other than Zephyr and Garp, who had accepted the mission to annihilate the Kast Kingdom.
Garp, usually carefree and indifferent about everything, currently wore a grim expression.
It wasn't because the enemy they were about to face was powerful.
With him and Zephyr acting together, plus ten warships, such a force could level several islands, let alone one.
It was just that killing so many innocent civilians for the sake of one Celestial Dragon...
In Garp's view, it was indeed...
"Alright, Garp." Sensing Garp's unease, Zephyr said in a low voice, "They brought this on themselves."
"Besides, Admiral Kong said it himself: if we don't do it, someone else will."
"Once we complete this mission, becoming Admirals is basically a done deal. With power and status, we can better uphold the justice in our hearts, can't we??"
Zephyr's reassurance slowly smoothed Garp's furrowed brow.
"You're right. Let's go. Finish the mission as quickly as possible!!"
With the last shred of guilt vanishing, Garp's aura changed, and he immediately gave the order!
Many pirates in the New World, seeing the Marine formation from afar, changed their expressions one by one.
Ten warships—what kind of treatment was this??
What kind of enemy was worth such a massive mobilization from the Marines??
Was it Rocks? Or some other great pirate??
This lineup was even more terrifying than a Buster Call.
Because the combined strength of Garp and Zephyr alone was worth who knows how many warships.
"Good grief, what happened? Did the world change while I was sleeping??"
"Could it be that the Marines found Rocks??"
"Who knows? The direction they're heading isn't where Rocks has been spotted!!"
"In all my years in the New World, aside from Rocks, I haven't seen the Marines deploy such a large force!!"
"Whoever it is, they're about to be in big trouble."
The Celestial Dragon was killed, an investigation launched, and the Marines deployed.
The entire process took only a day, and the news hadn't fully spread yet.
So, others didn't know the full story.
Pirates who saw this scene along the way whispered among themselves, most wearing expressions of schadenfreude.
They were a bunch who enjoyed watching chaos; seeing someone else in trouble was naturally entertaining to them.
"Brothers, want to follow and take a look? I'm really curious!!"
Some itching pirates rubbed their hands, wanting to find out the truth.
"Hehehehe..... If you're not afraid of dying, go ahead. With your meager strength, the shockwaves from the battle alone would kill you several times over."
As soon as he finished speaking, a bucket of cold water was poured over the idea.
The pirate smiled sheepishly. "Forget it, better to leave. My life is more important."
...
Kast Kingdom Port.
Raynor was absent, so Linlin took over as the temporary leader of the Raynor Pirates.
No one objected to this.
Setting aside the fact that Linlin was Raynor's woman and deeply cherished by him, she was also the strongest among them.
In the pirate world, strength reigned supreme; this was an eternal truth.
When the Kast Kingdom's Level 1 alarm sounded, the citizens' faces changed drastically. They dropped everything and returned home immediately.
They knew that a Level 1 alarm meant a powerful enemy was invading, and the Kast Kingdom was facing a life-or-death crisis.
Soon, the once-bustling streets were empty.
Along the entire coastline port, only Linlin, Jace, Shakuyaku, Shadow, Hajrudin, and Roger remained—six people.
At this moment, Roger was not only a citizen of Kast Kingdom but also a member of the Raynor Pirates.
Raynor had asked them to guard Kast's coastline, so naturally, he was duty-bound.
Streusen and Rupert were non-combatants, so they were not included.
"Isn't it just one dead Celestial Dragon?? Is it necessary to exaggerate so much??"
Looking at the empty streets behind him, Jace curled his lips in incomprehension.
"Does it even need to be said? Those guys are so high and mighty. Now that Raynor killed one, the Marines are probably going to go crazy."
Shakuyaku covered her mouth and chuckled, showing no nervousness despite the impending battle.
"It doesn't matter how many come. We'll just kill them," Shadow said, carefully wiping his dagger.
"Don't let your guard down, everyone. To them, the killing of a Celestial Dragon is no small matter. The people they sent this time are likely powerful Marine experts. We must take this seriously."
Seeing everyone's careless attitude, the experienced Roger took the initiative to remind them.
"Marine experts, huh?!"
"By the way, didn't we kill two Vice Admirals a few years ago?? Their strength wasn't that impressive."
"If their strength is only at that level, it would be too boring,"
Hajrudin, still over ten meters tall while sitting, rumbled, recalling the Vice Admiral he had fought.
"The Captain went to find the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. I wonder if he got it??"
A bored Shadow actively changed the topic.
"I heard the Tremor-Tremor Fruit is the most destructive Paramecia Devil Fruit. I wonder how it compares to my Rumble-Rumble Fruit??"
Jace, who was extremely competitive, had a glimmer in his eyes.
"Wait for the Captain to come back, then you can try it."
"See if the Captain beats you to death."
Shadow, who couldn't stand Jace's arrogance, poured cold water on him directly.
Jace's face fell instantly. "Forget it then."
"But I think the Tremor-Tremor Fruit should be for Linlin. With her monstrous physique, plus the destructive power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit... tsk tsk tsk... just thinking about it is terrifying."
"That goes without saying. Our Captain dotes on Linlin so much. Looks like our crew will have another top-tier powerhouse."
Everyone agreed and chimed in.
Embarrassed by everyone's comments, Linlin blushed and said shyly, "No matter who Big Bro gives the Tremor-Tremor Fruit to, I have no objections."
"Oh, really..."
Seeing the blushing Linlin, Jace was about to tease her when his expression suddenly changed.
"They're here!"
...
A few nautical miles from the Kast Port.
"Vice Admiral Garp, Vice Admiral Zephyr, we can see the port of Kast Kingdom. They seem to be prepared!"
An adjutant reported, holding a telescope.
"Hmph, it really was this bunch. Prepared??"
"Preparing now? It's too late!!"
Zephyr snorted coldly, killing intent surging around him.
"How many of them are there??" Garp asked nonchalantly from the side.
In his view, the opponent's so-called preparations were futile and meaningless, just a last-ditch struggle.
"There are... a total of six people!!"
" just as I guessed, they mobilized their entire forc... What??? Six people??"
Zephyr, about to speak, suddenly choked on his words and snatched the telescope away.
"It really is six people!!"
Through the telescope, he could clearly see six people standing at the port, as if waiting for their arrival.
"Arrogant!!" Zephyr sneered coldly, disdainfully saying, "To underestimate us so much... it seems wiping them out is the correct choice."
"Stay alert! Prepare for battle!!" Garp, cautious despite his demeanor, roared and issued the command.
The warships increased their speed. Linlin and the others at the port could now see with their naked eyes ten Marine warships rapidly approaching.
At the bow, Zephyr and Garp stood with arms crossed, shrouded in violent killing intent that made people afraid to look directly at them.
When they were about seventy or eighty meters from the port, under Garp's order, all the warships lined up and stopped.
"Are you the ones who killed the Celestial Dragon, Saint Roswald?!!"
Looking at the six people opposite, Garp got straight to the point.
After all, they had to confirm the target.
"Saint Roswald??"
Jace deliberately picked his ear and raised his voice, "Are you talking about that dog??"
"We didn't kill any Celestial Dragon, but we did kill a Celestial Dog. Don't know if that's the Saint whatever-whatever you're talking about??"
"Saint Dog?! That's right, Saint Dog."
"Insolent!!!"
Jace's single sentence turned Garp and Zephyr's faces frosty.
Arrogant. Simply too arrogant!!!
"Those two are the Marine rising stars, Garp and Zephyr. Their strength shouldn't be underestimated. Some say they already have the strength of Marine Admirals. Everyone be careful," Roger lowered his voice and reminded everyone.
"Garp, do you see now???"
"For people like this, we should kill them quickly!!"
"Whether they are the ones who killed the Sanders siblings back then or not, they must die today!!"
This time, Garp didn't refute Zephyr.
"A bunch of stubborn fools. Everyone prepare!!"
Zephyr raised his hand high. The Marine officers, understanding the signal, issued orders one after another.
A full ten warships turned their cannons simultaneously, aiming at the Kast Kingdom.
Hundreds of dark muzzles looked like the mouths of fierce beasts, ready to devour people at any moment.
Since the target was confirmed, Zephyr had no interest in wasting time with them.
One round of artillery fire should basically end the battle.
"Report, sir! Shells loaded!!"
"Report, sir! Shells loaded!!"
"..."
Reports from the artillerymen rang out successively on the warships.
"Pay the price for your actions!!"
"Fire!!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Hundreds of cannons fired at once. Flames erupted as dense clusters of cannonballs shot into the sky, traversing hundreds of meters toward the port and the town of Kast.
If all these shells hit, at least half of Kast would be destroyed.
"I'll leave this opportunity to show off to Big Sister."
The bewitching Shakuyaku swayed her slender waist and stepped forward. Jace stepped aside indifferently.
Aside from him, only Shakuyaku had the ability to stop so many cannonballs here.
Since Shakuyaku volunteered, he naturally wouldn't steal the credit.
Shakuyaku walked a few steps ahead of everyone, looking at the dense black dots in the sky, her face slowly darkening.
"Eight years ago, you damn Marines almost killed me. Today, I'll return it all to you!!"
"Little Wind!!"
"Mama, I'm here!!!"
The Wind Homie responded. The originally docile creature suddenly transformed into an endless storm, winds howling.
The clouds in the sky were scattered by the gale, and the clear sky gradually dimmed.
"Is that guy...?!!"
Eight years had passed, and Shakuyaku's appearance had changed slightly. Garp didn't recognize her immediately, but soon...
"Shakuyaku!!!"
"It's actually her!!"
Garp clenched his fist, calling out her name immediately.
"So it was you guys who did that back then!!"
"Oh, I've been recognized. But what use is that??"
"Little Wind, let them taste your power!!"
The Wind Homie circled in the void, the storm covering a larger and larger area, the howling sound in everyone's ears growing louder.
A powerful suction force engulfed the countless cannonballs fired by the warships, rotating continuously with the tornado.
"Right back at you!!!"
The Wind Homie shouted loudly, controlling the tornado filled with countless cannonballs to fly toward the Marines.
"Holy sh*t!!!"
The tornado expanded in their pupils. The Marine soldiers turned pale with fright, their mouths agape.
They couldn't withstand an attack like this.
"Bastard!!!"
"Don't get cocky!!!"
Zephyr and Garp shouted simultaneously. Both attacked at the same time, projecting Armament Haki to unleash invisible shockwaves that detonated some of the bombs.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosion of the shells triggered a chain reaction, and the remaining shells exploded in succession.
In less than a few seconds, all the shells were completely detonated. Explosions rang out endlessly, and the sky instantly turned into a scorching sea of fire.
Boundless flames erupted, and energy shockwaves whipped up waves of air, blasting in all directions.
Eventually, they dissipated completely into the air along with the tornado.
"Is that all you've got??"
Shakuyaku teased the Wind Homie, which had returned to its pocket-sized form, and spoke nonchalantly.
"You bastards!!!"
Although uninjured, Garp and Zephyr, looking extremely disheveled with dark faces, were close to exploding with rage.
"Vice Admiral Garp, Vice Admiral Zephyr, should we fire another round??"
An adjutant stepped forward and asked for instructions.
"Get lost, you idiot!!"
Zephyr, already furious, scolded angrily.
"Shakuyaku, we've looked for you for so many years. I didn't expect you to be hiding in a place like this!!"
"Today we'll kill you and avenge the Sanders siblings!!"
"You wait right here!!"
Ordering in an unquestionable tone, Garp and Zephyr exchanged glances and simultaneously used Geppo (Moonwalk).
Bang—Bang—
When the two reappeared, they were already standing on the ground of the Kast Port.
"What?? You couldn't count on those useless soldiers, so you decided to act personally??"
Shakuyaku chuckled lightly, showing no timidity at their arrival.
"A pirate is a pirate. Not knowing you're about to die... how laughable!!"
"Do you really think these little tricks can deal with us??"
Zephyr snorted coldly.
"Us??? What kind of things do you think you are??"
Linlin, who hadn't spoken until now, stepped forward to face Garp and Zephyr directly.
Seeing Linlin advance, Shakuyaku actively stepped aside.
This scene made both Garp and Zephyr look sideways.
They noticed that Shakuyaku showed no reluctance, as if this was how it should be.
"And who are you?!!" the cautious Zephyr demanded.
"When you die, I'll tell you!!"
"I'll take Garp!"
"Then Big Sister will handle this one called Zephyr!"