Ian, the God of Sun!
Teach stared intensely, even clenching both his fists. 'Damn it, what's that guy planning? Could it be that he's also after the Dark-Dark Fruit?'
Time passed bit by bit.
Ace and Enel were also fished out of the sea by Binz's arrangements.
Both of them regained their fighting intent immediately, but Binz stopped them, telling them to calm down, stating he didn't want to carry two corpses back later.
No one knew how long it took, but…
"Worororo!"
Kaido's unique laugh echoed again.
Unlike before, it now carries joy and satisfaction.
Has the result come out?
That laughter made everyone hold their breath while staring at Kaido in anticipation.
"You're right. This is indeed a business that satisfies me."
Kaido's tone grew a lot calmer, and he laughed boldly. "Since that's the case, I'll give you face. I won't interfere with the upcoming battle. But I hope you won't break your promise to me!"
After saying that, seemingly receiving a satisfactory answer, Kaido hung up the Den Den Mushi and casually tossed it back toward the Umbrella Corporation.
Then, he soared into the sky, transforming once again into a dragon, overlooking everything below with a calm expression. "This boring game is yours now. Do whatever you want. I'm going back to drink!"
With that, under everyone's gaze, the massive dragon faded into the clouds and disappeared from sight.
Everyone: "…"
For a moment, the atmosphere froze, and everyone stared in disbelief.
He left?
Did he really leave?
Seeing the captain of the Beasts Pirates actually leave, the crowd couldn't hold back anymore.
Their gazes all fell again onto the now-silent Straw Hat crew, with madness flashing in their eyes.
"The Dark-Dark Fruit belongs to me!"
…
At the same time, on the side of Marine Headquarters, Sengoku, who was constantly monitoring the situation, also received intelligence about the East Blue's Sambas Region.
"He leaves?"
Sengoku's eyes were filled with shock, but only for a moment before his gaze became solemn again. He folded his hands while propping them under his chin on the desk, and said in a gloomy tone: "The leader of the Umbrella Corporation, Ian, what exactly did the two of them talk about?"
Cooperation?
An alliance?
Or some kind of conspiracy?
It had to be said that this sudden turn of events made Sengoku feel both relieved and worried, but he also understood that now was not the time to dwell on these things.
Just a moment later, Sengoku adjusted his mood again, exhaled a long breath, and looked at the intelligence in his hand. "For now, let's stabilize the situation first!"
Although the worst guy was gone, it also meant…
Sengoku slightly lifted his head, looking at the sea outside the window. "The most critical moment is coming!"
…
"That ten billion belly is mine!"
"No, I'm the man who's going to get that ten billion belly!"
"Brothers, charge! After this big score, we'll make it big!"
The moment Kaido left, the pirate crews could no longer hold themselves back. They were even worried something unexpected might happen again, so they dared not hesitate at all.
All of them charged toward the Straw Hat crew with madness in their eyes, and even the Beasts Pirates' fleet did the same.
Even if their Governor had left, they could still seize that Devil Fruit for him!
As for the Big Mom Pirates' fleet, Katakuri did not immediately attack. Instead, he furrowed his brows, as though deep in thought.
But his younger siblings beside him had no such patience. Seeing the pirates rushing forward, they became anxious and shouted to Katakuri, "Big brother Katakuri, should we go too?"
"We…"
Hearing his younger siblings, Katakuri snapped out of his thoughts, frowned, swept a glance at the already frenzied pirates around them, then, after a moment of silence, spoke in a serious tone: "Let's go too! We must seize the Dark-Dark Fruit for Mama!"
The moment those words fell, the Big Mom Pirates, who had long been itching to act, showed expressions of excitement.
Without hesitation, they steered their ship and charged toward the direction of the Straw Hat crew.
"Damn bastards, that thing belongs to the Big Mom Pirates! Let's see who dares to take it!"
At this moment, with the Big Mom Pirates joining in, the situation became even more chaotic!
"Damn it, I have to go help Luffy!"
Ace's face tightened with anxiety, wishing he could rush to his little brother's side at once.
"Those bastards actually dare to steal Luffy's treasure!"
"Calm down, your little brother's situation isn't that bad yet!"
Binz stopped him while replying irritably: "That gap-toothed guy and that warlord aren't weak!"
Although why that Warlord was helping Ace's brother was another mystery.
"Now's not the time to act. If you make a move now, these guys will probably team up to take us out first!"
At this moment, he couldn't help but cry internally. 'Damn it, why did he follow Enel to the East Blue in the first place? He should've listened to Zephyr-sensei and left East Blue early.'
Now it was too late; even if they didn't want to get involved, they had no choice. They couldn't just watch Ace's younger brother die here!
Thinking of this, he glanced at the now recovered Enel at his side and sighed with slight relief.
"Just us alone can't fight through this. These guys are all infamous pirates of the seas, so we must find the chance to help your brother escape as quickly as possible."
Just as he finished, Binz suddenly seemed to see something. His eyes lit up, and he shouted: "The opportunity's here. Didn't expect that gap-toothed guy to be this smart!"
'It can't go on like this!'
Teach, who was using all his might to block the pirates, felt a chill in his heart. Watching the waves of pirates rushing toward them, he understood very clearly that it absolutely could not continue like this.
Even though he desperately wanted to seize the Dark-Dark Fruit and leave this place immediately, now was not the right time!
If he got it now, these guys would definitely hunt him down.
Thinking of this, Teach seemed to have made a decision.
A crazed expression appeared on his face as he shouted loudly to Luffy: "I'll hold them off first! Hurry and find a way to escape!"