New World, Karai Bari Island.
"Buggy, there's nowhere left to run!"
The Marine Fleet had surrounded the island. Vice Admiral Momonga, leading the fleet, shouted through a loudspeaker, pressuring Buggy to surrender.
But their answer came in the form of a Desert Treasure Sword flying from the island!
"Clang!"
The blade sliced through one of the warships, cutting it clean in half. With a deafening "Boom!", the ship exploded into flames.
"It's Crocodile!"
The Marines paled in terror.
"So this is your answer, Buggy!"
Vice Admiral Momonga glared at the sinking warship, his face twisted in fury. He immediately signaled the other ships.
"Prepare to fire!"
"Open fire!"
"Annihilate all the Pirates!"
Every warship raised its cannons and unleashed a barrage on the Cross Guild's stronghold on the island. In just one volley, flames erupted everywhere.
"Waaahhh!"
"Captain Buggy, do something!"
"We're gonna die!"
The Pirates panicked.
In terms of firepower, Pirates were no match for the Marines. If they didn't find a way to suppress the warships' cannons, the entire island would be destroyed.
"Calm down, men!"
Buggy stood atop a high platform, steady as a rock.
"You think I didn't prepare for this?"
"Huh?"
The Pirates froze.
Could it be?!
"As expected of Captain Buggy! He already had a plan!"
"We're so useless!"
"Brothers, show the Marines what we're made of!"
Without Buggy needing to say more, the Pirates filled in the gaps themselves, their morale skyrocketing as if injected with adrenaline.
The island also had its fair share of artillery, so they weren't completely defenseless.
Buggy spread his arms and laughed wildly.
"Gahahaha! Wipe out the Marines!"
"Oooohhh!!!"
But no amount of morale could make up for the overwhelming firepower disadvantage. Soon, the Pirates were screaming for their lives under the bombardment.
However, the tide quickly turned.
The warships at the rear were suddenly attacked from below, sinking one after another and throwing the Marine formation into chaos.
"Enemy attack!"
"There are enemies underwater!"
"It's the Sun Pirates!"
Naval battles were the Fish-Men's domain. Unless the Marines foolishly dove underwater, dealing with their assaults was nearly impossible.
And it wasn't just the Fish-Men—the Heart Pirates also launched underwater attacks. Hailing from the frigid ports of the North Blue, they were experts in aquatic combat.
"Boom!"
Shachi and Penguin inhaled massive amounts of seawater before spitting it out at the warships—"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"—destroying their cannons and other critical parts.
The situation quickly reversed.
"It's Captain Buggy's secret reinforcements!"
"Haha, brothers, counterattack!"
The Pirates' morale soared once more.
With no effective means to deal with underwater enemies, the Marines swiftly changed tactics, beaching all their warships.
Marines stormed ashore.
Close-quarters combat erupted immediately, with both sides' strongest fighters joining the fray.
"Clang!"
A golden hook clashed against a Black Blade.
"Long time no see, Hawkeye."
"Crocodile."
The two landed, locking eyes.
The scene was reminiscent of their duel during the Summit War.
However, unlike Mingo's constant trash-talking, Crocodile treated Hawkeye with far more courtesy. There was no direct conflict of interest between them.
Crocodile smirked, in no hurry to fight. Instead, he asked, "Hawkeye, what do you think of this war?"
"I have no interest."
Hawkeye furrowed his brows.
He was only complying with the mandatory summons, not actually willing to participate in the war, and the outcome held no benefit for him either way.
Just work.
"Your reaction is exactly as I expected."
Crocodile smirked.
One of the things he liked most about Hawkeye was that he was a lone wolf, uninterested in most things beyond swordsmanship.
Such people were pure—they rarely harbored great ambitions outside their own domain.
Thus, Hawkeye was the perfect candidate for the Cross Guild.
Crocodile took a drag from his cigar and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Hawkeye, join my Cross Guild!"
"Is that all you wanted to say?"
Hawkeye's frown deepened.
If this was just idle chatter, there was no point in reminiscing.
Crocodile brimmed with confidence.
"You probably don't know this, but the World Government is currently developing a special weapon designed to replace the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"Soon enough, you'll lose your privileges as a Warlord of the Sea and become a target of the Marines—after all, your former title was Marine Hunter!"
"Join me. With your name, mine, the Pirate Empress, and Jimbei, even the Marines wouldn't dare provoke us!"
Hawkeye remained unmoved.
"Crocodile, do you really think I'd trust you?"
"Trust? You've got it all wrong."
Crocodile laughed heartily.
"In the fact that we can't trust others, you and I are the same. The Cross Guild doesn't require mutual trust—we gather for shared interests!"
"Hawkeye, the ultimate goal of our Cross Guild is to create a Utopia free from the control of any power."
"..."
Crocodile and Hawkeye discussed their dreams.
Meanwhile, others faced off as well.
"Jimbei, you bastard!"
Old enemies burned with hatred at the sight of each other.
Moria glared at Jimbei, recalling how he had nearly been shattered by Jimbei's punch during the Summit War.
Now, history repeated itself.
The Zombie Soldiers he commanded had all been drenched in seawater by Jimbei, howling as their shadows were expelled, turning them back into corpses.
His reserves were running low!
After his battle with the Straw Hat, most of the shadows he controlled had fled. Replenishing them would take an excruciatingly long time.
Jimbei remained calm.
"Moria, relying on external forces won't make you stronger. If you don't change, the outcome of this fight will be the same."
"Don't get cocky!"
Moria, furious, swung his giant scissors at Jimbei.
Nearby, another pair of enemies clashed.
Mingo stood with his hands in his pockets, his rogue-like grin brimming with arrogance. "Fufufufu, Law, are you really going to fight me?"
"Joker!"
Law drew Ghost Cry, his gaze icy.
The hatred for Corazon was something he could never forget. After all these years, he finally stood before his enemy.
"Wait, Doffy!"
One of the five Marine Vice Admirals leading the troops intervened in the impending battle.
Doflamingo's smile widened.
"Vergo."
"Leave him to me."
Vergo stepped in front of Law, his tone cold. "He's my subordinate. Dealing with him is my responsibility."
Among the family's executives, Law belonged to the Heart Army—his direct subordinates. Eliminating traitors was his duty.
"Room!"
Without a word, Law expanded his Operating Space over the battlefield, looking at Vergo as if he were already a dead man.
Even now, the Donquixote Family remained steeped in arrogance, clinging only to their comfortable nest.
A year had passed since the Summit War, and in that time, he had experienced countless events—now finding himself at the center of the storm.
Facing Vergo as he charged forward, Law calmly swung his longsword!
"Thud!"
Vergo's body was split in two!
Law raised his head, a wild grin on his face.
"Joker, the times have changed!"
"..."
Doflamingo's smile vanished.
(End of chapter.)