Chapter 247: Moving Forward

Late night.

The Grand Line.

Paradise.

The storm gradually rose; the clouds were heavy, like leaden ink. Wild winds whipped up giant waves, yet they struggled to shake the few warships that stood like steel behemoths.

The distant sea was a patch of darkness, save for a few Sea Kings that occasionally leaped from the water, their scarlet, bloodthirsty eyes wide open.

Whether due to the instincts of Sea Kings or fear of the figure aboard the warship, not one dared to cross the line.

Suddenly.

A beam of Jin Guang rose from the deck, then slid across the night sky in an instant, speeding toward the end of the sea.

"That fellow Borsalino has moved first to intercept Kaido of the Hundred Beasts in the New World; has the situation at Headquarters become so critical?!"

Zephyr gazed at the distant dark sea, his expression calm, revealing nothing of his thoughts.

"This is only natural."

"After all, that thing is the legendary Pluton. What is truly strange this time is the World Government; how they have managed to sit where they are until now."

Aokiji stood at the bow, letting the wild wind blow through his hair.

His gaze was hidden beneath his sunglasses, his tone growing increasingly cold; even beneath his feet, a layer of frost had already formed.

"But regardless..."

"Launching a Buster Call directly at a time like this is absolutely wrong!"

Aokiji stated with absolute certainty.

Even from the sound alone, Zephyr could sense the turmoil within Aokiji's heart at this moment.

It was an emotion as surging as the distant sea.

Even what surfaced and displayed itself before Zephyr's eyes was less than one ten-thousandth of it.

"Then what do you plan to do?!"

"If you make a move at this time, you will be pushing yourself into opposition against the Marines; have you considered what consequences that will bring?!"

"The justice printed on your coat will depart from you."

"The gods standing in the clouds will also denounce you as a heretic!"

Aokiji withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Zephyr.

At this very moment, how similar was Water Seven to Ohara back then?!

Nearly identical choices lay before Aokiji; in merely an instant, he had already made his decision in his heart:

"The justice printed on my coat may depart from me, but the justice carved in my heart will not."

A slight smile curled Zephyr's lips:

"It seems your meeting with Knight Gao Wen has allowed you to comprehend some new things?"

"Even that brat Borsalino, I find myself understanding less and less; we old bones are about ready to exit the stage of history."

"But who doesn't wish to make their final bow amidst glory?!"

"Heh."

Aokiji smiled faintly and raised his hand to remove his sunglasses.

Crack—boom!

Thunder exploded, illuminating heaven and earth.

That sea remained as it had been at the start: black with depth, black enough to induce despair.

Yet at this moment, Aokiji's gaze became incomparably firm:

"I will absolutely no longer stand by and watch the same mistake occur."

"A tragedy like Ohara happening once is enough; no, it shouldn't happen even once!"

As his voice landed,

Zephyr's eyes had already lost sight of Aokiji's figure; the distant sea froze in the next instant, spreading out a channel leading into the darkness.

"Tsk!"

"You show-off brat!"

Zephyr cursed with a laugh as Aokiji's voice gradually faded into the distance by his ear.

"Teacher Zephyr, if I can return this time, if I can return to the Marines, perhaps we can truly join forces and try to change the Marines."

"Good!"

Zephyr responded, then turned to look at the bewildered Marines on the deck and commanded:

"Full speed ahead now; return to Headquarters!"

"I'd like to see just what that fellow Sengoku wants to discuss with me."

"It seems this Buster Call has dealt him quite a shock."

"Hahahaha~~~"

Amidst his heroic laughter, the fleet vanished upon the turbulent sea.

Jin Guang sliced through the sky.

After transforming into his element, Kizaru rushed at full speed toward the battlefield in the New World at a velocity beyond ordinary comprehension.

"Ko~wa~i~ne~"

Kizaru's tone remained as casual and extremely lazy as usual.

Yet his eyes were filled with solemnity.

This was because the opponent awaiting him in the New World was none other than Kaido of the Hundred Beasts, known as the strongest creature, who, in this era where legends had faded and the world's strongest man had grown old, was implicitly regarded as the strongest fighter in one-on-one combat.

"Just news of the Pluton blueprints has even made that fellow Kaido unable to sit still?!"

"No!"

"Even without the Pluton blueprints, facing a struggle for supremacy on this scale, with Kaido's personality, he would absolutely be unable to sit still."

"Really..."

"These fellows called the Four Emperors are each so strong they resemble monsters; no, they simply are monsters!"

"Even the current Knight Gao Wen is absolutely no match for Kaido!"

The next day.

The New World.

A massive warship fell from the sky outside the waters of Wano Country, crashing onto the sea surface like a meteorite, sending up spray hundreds of meters high.

It further stirred up a giant wave that spread out in all directions.

The Marine warships already stationed around were affected by this, nearly capsizing; only thanks to the Vice Admirals from Headquarters on board taking action were they barely able to stabilize their hulls.

Yet the expressions on everyone's faces held not a trace of relief; instead, because of the figure standing on the deck of that distant warship, they appeared increasingly solemn.

"That fellow is... Kaido of the Hundred Beasts!"

"What an overwhelming pressure!"

Vice Admiral Huo Shaoshan stood at the bow.

In the past, no matter what situation he faced, a smile sufficient to calm people's hearts would always grace his face; at this moment, facing the man in the distance, he could not smile in the least.

Suddenly, an inexplicable pressure erupted explosively from the distant Kaido; Huo Shaoshan instantly gripped the long blade at his waist, feeling a tremor arising from his very soul.

"Something is coming!"

"Take cover—!"

Before he could even finish speaking, Kaido's roar, loud as thunder, already rang out:

"Thunder Bagua!"

Huo Shaoshan's body stiffened as he looked back.

He saw only crimson lightning coiling around Kaido's entire body, while the spiked club named Hakkaisai in his hand was swung heavily forward.

Crimson snakes danced wildly across the sky; a shockwave like a pillar of light erupted explosively with Kaido at its center, devouring everything it touched!

The warship beneath Huo Shaoshan's feet did not even hold for a thousandth of a second before it explosively disintegrated.

Even he himself completely lost consciousness in the next instant!

"Get lost!"

"My target is Pluton!"

Kaido roared, causing the other Marines present to lose even the will to resist due to their bodies' fear.

Until a streak of Jin Guang shot across the sea surface at godlike speed, driving a body that delivered a heavy strike as weighty as a mountain range!

Boom!

The appearing Huang Yuan's long leg, like a spear, struck heavily against Kaido's spiked club.

The violent force poured along Kaido's body and into the ship's hull, causing the bow to tilt upward in that instant to an angle approaching ninety degrees.

This sudden change revealed looks of surprise on the faces of the Marines present; immediately after, they realized the identity of the newcomer, and the fear in their hearts was swept away in that moment.

"It is Admiral Borsalino!"

"One of the three greatest combat powers of Marine Headquarters!"

"A monster capable of confronting any opponent; in this battle, we may not necessarily lose!"

"Fall back!"

"Fall back!"

"Leave the battlefield to them, deploy to the flanks, and contain the Hundred Beasts' breakout!"

In the center of the battlefield.

The Huang Yuan made contact and immediately retreated; feeling the sensation of weakness spreading through his leg, he could not help but grin:

"If possible, I would rather not fight a monster like you; could you please just obediently return to your own territory?!"

"After all, these seas have finally settled down with great difficulty."

Kaido cracked his neck, fixed his gaze on the Huang Yuan, and fighting intent surged in his eyes:

"The Marines have actually sent a worthy opponent."

"I want the Pluton blueprints from Water Seven, and since Knight Gao Wen killed my men, I want his head as well; why don't you hand over both of those things?!"

"I might consider going back."

"Spare me~"

The Huang Yuan pulled a long, bitter face, his tone carrying an indescribable sense of helplessness:

"Something like Pluton is far too dangerous; it is best buried within history."

"Knight Gao Wen..."

"Come to think of it, that fellow is also a genuine monster; I'm afraid I might not be his match either~"

"Is that so..."

"Then that is truly a pity."

Accompanied by Kaido's mocking voice, his body suddenly expanded; blue-green dragon scales covered his entire form, and two huge curved horns extended upward.

It was precisely the human-beast form of the Green Dragon Fruit!

At this very moment.

The aura radiating from Kaido's body had already become so ferocious that it was difficult to describe with words; merely the leaked Haki pushed away the surrounding air like a gale, causing the warships present to sway continuously.

The figures on the deck could not even stand steadily.

"Truly... troublesome!"

Kizaru sighed, yet his movements showed no hesitation whatsoever; Jin Guang converged, condensing into a long sword.

In the next instant, Kizaru transformed into a streak of Jin Guang, clashing head-on with the spiked club in Kaido's hand!

In mid-air, an impact as tangible as substance instantly stirred up a massive wave, pushing the surrounding warships even farther away.

At the same time, the fleet led by Wang Zhi from Hive Island had already passed Fish-Man Island, entered the scope of Paradise, and was surging massively toward Water Seven.

Tang Jikede, Germa 66, the Happo Navy...

The notable powers across these seas were all fixing their gaze on Water Seven at the same time.

Some wished to see the entire world burn, walking into an uncontrollable destruction...

Some wanted to go and claim a share of the spoils, even obtaining the Pluton blueprints, using them as a foundation to build warships sufficient to help them conquer the North Blue...

And some were there merely for the sake of battle itself...

In short, the entire sea was boiling over at this moment!

Paradise.

After leaving Water Seven, Snack sailed straight toward the surrounding sea areas.

Although he was now ranked as one of the Four Sweet Commanders, both his bounty and his strength showed a clear gap compared to the other three.

This point also caused many others within Totto Land to hold grievances against him.

Although the vast majority of ministers in Totto Land shared blood ties, when interests and status were involved, even fathers and sons could turn against each other, let alone brothers and sisters.

"Clearly, if we just advanced one step further and captured Water Seven, we could obtain the Pluton blueprints, yet Brother Katakuri ordered us to withdraw from Water Seven at this very moment..."

A trace of unwillingness appeared on Snack's face.

But as soon as he thought of that man who was very much like an elder father, he felt only a sense of powerlessness.

This was because the current Katakuri was not only the leader of the Four Sweet Commanders, the face of Totto Land, but also the actual second-in-command of Totto Land.

Even with Big Mom, the leader of Totto Land, suffering from her gluttony disorder, most internal affairs of Totto Land, big or small, were decided by Katakuri; he was basically equivalent to the number one leader.

In terms of combat power, he was also the undisputed strongest within Totto Land, aside from Big Mom herself.

"Brother Katakuri must have his own considerations."

Babalua, who was similar in age to Snack and wore a yellow-striped jumpsuit, could not help but speak up to persuade:

"After all, at this point in time, even if we succeeded, facing the numerous pirates surrounding Water Seven, we would likely find it difficult to escape."

"After all, the true monsters of this sea are still hidden in the shadows, not yet revealing themselves."

"Perhaps there exists such a being right around the vicinity of Water Seven."

"Didn't the intelligence we obtained earlier already prove that the fellow Golden Lion is right here in Paradise? With us—"

"Enough!"

Snack interrupted Babalua roughly, his tone already carrying a anger that was difficult to conceal.

He took a deep breath, barely suppressing it, then turned his head and asked:

"Did those two captives we caught earlier spit out anything?!"

"According to the list left by that fellow Edwin, the true identities of those two are CP9 agents; the purpose of their infiltration into Water Seven is most likely the Pluton blueprints."

"If we can pry useful information from their mouths, our subsequent actions will be much more convenient."

"As long as we can get the Pluton blueprints, Mama will also look at me with new eyes; my ability... is no worse than anyone else's!"

Babalua shook his head:

"Those two have mouths harder than we imagined."

"From physical pain to the mental devastation caused by drugs, we failed to extract even a shred of useful information from their mouths."

"Perhaps they truly know nothing."

"Impossible—"

Snack had just spoken when he was interrupted by a startled shout from the crow's nest.

"What happened?!"

"It's a ship!"

The lookout reported loudly:

"A strangely shaped Marine warship, possessing several raven-like features!"

Snack froze for a moment, yet his brows gradually furrowed:

"From the time we entered Water Seven until now, let alone a warship, we haven't seen even a shadow of a Marine."

"How could it be so coincidental?"

"We just left Water Seven, and we encounter a Marine warship?!"

Babalua's pupils constricted; realizing a hint of conspiracy, he slowly put on his gauntlets and said Solemnly:

"Are you saying they are coming for those two captives?!!"

"Only that makes sense!"

"What do we do now?!"

Babalua swallowed hard.

Having dealt with the Marines many times, he naturally knew that warships with bizarre designs often represented the Marine high command.

"Only someone of no small stature within the Marines would qualify to commission a custom warship; should we... retreat?!"

"Who do you think I am?!"

Snag flew into a rage; gazing at the warship gradually approaching in the distance, his eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

Putting up with Brother Katakuri's orders was one thing, but now some random Marine pops up and I'm supposed to endure that too?!

"Move closer!"

(End of Chapter)