Sengoku's brow furrowed. This name had only recently entered the Marines' field of vision, but what he had done had already caused a major uproar.
Killing a crewmate. Defecting from the Whitebeard Pirates.
"That's correct," Lafitte smiled. "We, the Blackbeard Pirates, nominate our captain to become the new Warlord of the Sea, succeeding Sir Crocodile!"
Doflamingo let out an amused laugh. "Fuffuffu, another greenhorn who doesn't know his own limits?"
Lafitte continued, "To prove our sincerity and strength, we are undertaking a plan—to capture a pirate with a bounty over one hundred million Beri, thereby accumulating sufficient fame and merit! We believe the World Government will soon see our value."
Hawk-Eyes indifferently closed his eyes, seemingly having no interest in this farce.
Kuma remained silent.
Vice Admiral Tsuru watched Lafitte thoughtfully. Regardless, this man's audacity alone warranted the World Government's attention.
"A Warlord's seat is not won with mere words. Prove it with action. Until then, leave this place, or you will be treated as having invaded Marine Headquarters!" Sengoku declared gravely.
He was interested.
Lafitte smiled.
Otherwise, a pirate like him wouldn't have been allowed to leave.
He bowed once more, his figure vanishing from the window as mysteriously as it had appeared. "As you wish, Fleet Admiral. We will present our 'calling card' very soon."
The scene shifts back to the seas off Mock Town.
On the Blackbeard Pirates' ramshackle boat, Blackbeard Teach clutched a fresh bounty poster he'd just bought from a News Coo. On it was Luffy's beaming face and the staggering number: 200,000,000 BERI.
"Zehahaha!"
"I knew it! A mere 50 million bounty pirate couldn't possibly possess that level of Haki! Two hundred million Beri is more like it!"
Blackbeard erupted into booming laughter, crumpling the poster into a ball.
Beside him, the Champion Jesus Burgess asked in a muffled voice, "Captain, should we go take out that Straw Hat kid now?"
"Lafitte told us to wait here for news," Doc Q reminded from the side.
"Our plan requires that legal status; the meeting at Marine Headquarters is key. However, our target can be decided now."
Blackbeard stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming with calculation. He smoothed out the crumpled poster and grinned. "He's the one!"
Straw Hat Luffy, 200 million Beri!
He seemed capable, but according to intel, a large part of that bounty was likely due to him "kidnapping" a princess, making it seem quite inflated in the eyes of the outside world.
Perfect for establishing their authority!
Near the waters of Jaya Island.
Aboard the Going Merry.
As for Luffy getting tangled up with yet another Warlord, Nami, after her initial breakdown, accepted reality with surprisingly swift resignation.
In her own words: "Whatever, when you're already drowning in debt, a little more doesn't matter. Following this idiot captain, we'd better get used to the daily routine of being chased by Admirals sooner or later!"
She and Vivi had previously met a half-monkey-man named Montblanc Cricket. Upon hearing they truly believed in Sky Island and were trying to find it, this man, ridiculed by the world as the leader of the Saruyama Alliance, shared all his half-a-lifetime's research on the Knock Up Stream and the White-White Sea clouds without reservation.
"Based on the data Mr. Cricket gave us and my observations of ocean currents and cloud patterns over the past few days..."
Nami stood on the deck, spreading out a sea chart. She pointed confidently at a set of coordinates. "If my calculations are correct, the next eruption of the Knock Up Stream will be today!"
As if to confirm her words, in the sky, one drop, two drops... raindrops began to fall, pitter-pattering on the deck, splashing up tiny droplets.
"Oooh! We're setting off! To Sky Island!!"
"The fortress in the sky!"
Luffy was ecstatic. "Merry, get ready! We're gonna ride the Knock Up Stream up to the sky!"
"Understood, Luffy!"
Merry's small figure floated near the ship's wheel, a smile on her face.
Her coordination with Nami was seamless. One precisely calculated weather and currents; the other perfectly controlled every aspect of the ship's condition. It was a treasure of a combination between a navigator and a ship spirit.
Cricket had reminded them they'd need a South Bird to navigate on Sky Island, but this difficulty seemed trivial before Nami's astronomical knowledge and Merry's natural sense of direction.
However, a trace of worry still appeared on Merry's little face. "Nami, Luffy... Mr. Cricket said the impact force of the Knock Up Stream is enormous, so huge that even a large warship can hardly withstand it. I'm worried..."
Luffy laughed. "Don't worry, Merry. Leave it to me."
Don't forget his rubber abilities.
Nika, floating nearby and hugging her wine gourd, chimed in. "This rubber bastard can temporarily turn the ship's hull into rubber."
On this noisy ship packed with troublemakers, she felt the only relatively normal one was Merry, whose heart was as pure as a little angel's.
Mainly because... Merry really did share the wine!
In truth, no one on the ship could refuse Merry.
Every time they saw her clinging to Luffy's shoulder or sitting on his head like a little accessory, Luffy would receive venomous glares from Nami, Usopp, and even Sanji.
The rain grew heavier. The sky darkened rapidly, and the wind and waves on the sea began to intensify.
In the distance, a massive whirlpool slowly took shape, swallowing the surrounding seawater with a low, rumbling roar.
"Look! That's the sign of the Knock Up Stream clouds forming!"
Nami pointed into the distance.
Everyone looked up.
At the horizon where sea met sky, an expanse of boundless darkness spread out. Above that darkness lay a layer of ash-white clouds of unimaginable thickness—the Knock Up Stream clouds.
The clouds were so dense they completely blocked the sunlight, plunging the area beneath them into an early night. Their coverage was vast, far exceeding Jaya Island, perhaps even more extensive than the entire land of Alabasta.
This sky-obscuring spectacle carried a near-apocalyptic sense of oppression, like the entrance of a major villain.
The giant whirlpool ahead of the Merry began to pull in everything around it. As the Merry was drawn by the current, gradually approaching the whirlpool, its full scale was revealed—its diameter was comparable to an island!
The deep, dark center of the whirlpool seemed capable of swallowing anything.
They could even see a Sea King over a thousand meters long, struggling futilely within the vortex, still being mercilessly dragged towards the center, appearing so tiny and powerless!
"Wh-wh-what kind of joke is this?!!"
"We're... we're gonna—we're gonna DIE!!" Usopp's teeth chattered. Chopper clung tightly to Usopp, all his fur standing on end, tears in his eyes.
Were they really going to charge into that place?!
Just then, a ship of bizarre design appeared not far away. It was the ship of the Blackbeard Pirates.
***
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