After forcing Kizaru to retreat, Redfield turned slowly, the gleam in his eyes cold and lethal.
Murderous intent rolled off him like waves as he raised Raindrop, his blade gleaming with a promise of carnage.
At that moment, it truly looked like the next second would see hundreds of Marines reduced to blood and dust.
But before Redfield could swing—
Arthur's eyes snapped open.
A suffocating wave of Conqueror's Haki burst from him like a storm, crashing over the battlefield in an invisible tsunami.
The pressure was so overwhelming that even his own allies frowned, their bodies instinctively tensing under the weight of that raw dominance.
As for the Marines—those "hundreds of battle-zeros" standing before him—
They didn't even have time to scream.
Their eyes rolled back, foam bubbled from their mouths, and in the blink of an eye, they all hit the ground like dominoes—out cold, twitching, defeated without a single strike.
The sight stunned the Marines watching from the ships offshore.
"Wh-What the hell?!"
"Did… did he just knock out hundreds of men at once?!"
"How's that even possible?!"
The young, hot-blooded recruits who had been eager to jump in suddenly thought better of it. They yanked their legs back from the railing and scrambled to hide behind their superiors.
"Nope. Nope nope nope. I'm staying right here, thanks."
A few Vice Admirals covered their eyes; they couldn't bear to watch anymore.
Meanwhile, Kizaru and Aokiji both exhaled in relief.
Whew—
Thank god. When they saw Redfield draw his sword, they'd nearly had heart attacks.
Had Arthur not stepped in, the Navy would've lost hundreds of soldiers in a single breath.
But now, the pair's reprieve was short-lived. While they hesitated, Arthur and his crew had already put serious distance between them—
closing in fast on the coast.
Aokiji sneered, the temperature around him plummeting.
"Hmph. Let's see how you Devil Fruit users plan to escape over the sea."
Then—
"...Wait. What's that?"
His sharp eyes caught something gliding rapidly across the waves toward Arthur's group.
His pupils shrank.
"No way. Is that… a ship?!"
A clear voice echoed over the water—
bright, warm, almost nostalgic:
"Merry! I've come to save everyone!"
Every person with Observation Haki—Arthur, Redfield, Waldo, Crocodile, even several Marine officers—heard it.
"Yo~ What's that? Some kind of ship spirit?" drawled Kizaru lazily. "These guys just get more interesting by the minute."
Aokiji's face darkened.
"Bad news—after them! Now!"
He shot forward, leaving a trail of frost.
By the time he closed in, Arthur and his group had already seen the approaching vessel clearly.
The Going Merry.
Of all people, Crocodile looked the most stunned.
"That's… Straw Hat Luffy's ship! What the hell is it doing here?"
And that voice just now… could it really be the legendary spirit of the ship—the one that once carried the Straw Hats through life and death?
He turned to Arthur, and for the first time, genuine awe flickered in his cold eyes.
This "captain" of his… was terrifyingly unpredictable. Every move he made shattered common sense.
Maybe… following this guy isn't such a bad idea after all?
That thought alone startled Crocodile. He'd never bowed to anyone—not even the Yonko.
So why, for the first time, did he feel a flicker of… loyalty?
His reflection was broken by Arthur's shout.
"Get on board! Now!"
"Aye!"
Redfield, Waldo, and Crocodile answered in unison, leaping aboard the Going Merry. Sails unfurled, anchors lifted, the ship stirred to life.
Arthur, meanwhile, stood at the bow, locking eyes with the figurehead—the gentle, smiling face of the Merry.
A massive sweatdrop metaphorically slid down the lamb's wooden forehead.
Who the heck are you people?! Where's my crew?! What's going on?!
If a ship could sweat, the Merry was absolutely drenched.
And Arthur—he was practically trembling with emotion.
Before crossing into this world, he had wept over the Merry's farewell scene—standing in his school's snack shop, sobbing into his chips while everyone stared like he'd lost his mind.
To see it now, alive and radiant under the sun… it was surreal.
"Merry," he said softly, smiling. "Luffy and the others are on the Sea Train headed back. Help us get out of here and we'll meet them in Water Seven, alright?"
The Merry's eyes sparkled faintly. It seemed to understand.
Without a word, the ship adjusted course, allowing Waldo to steer as it glided toward the horizon.
"You think you can run? Don't get cocky—Ice Age!"
Aokiji slammed his palm to the sea.
CRACK! CRACK!
The ocean around them froze solid in seconds. Ice spread across the waves, creeping toward the Merry, threatening to entomb it in an instant.
And then—
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
The sky erupted in a hail of golden light.
Kizaru's Light Beads fell like meteors, smashing into the ice and shattering it before it could reach the ship.
The frozen sea fractured with thunderous cracks, opening a path of open water.
Arthur's eyes lit up.
"Perfect! Waldo—now!"
"Roger that!"
Waldo slammed his palm on the Merry's deck.
"Twentyfold Acceleration!"
BOOM!
In a single instant, the Going Merry shot forward like a cannonball, vanishing into the glittering horizon.
Even Aokiji's eyes twitched.
"That damn monkey—he let them go again!"
Kizaru just shrugged, stretching lazily.
"Yo~ They sure got lucky, huh? Guess my aim's a little off today."
Aokiji's expression could have curdled milk.
"Off? You didn't even try!"
"Ah~ but you saw them too. I can't handle that whole crew by myself."
"Tch… we're both going to get chewed out for this," Aokiji muttered darkly.
As the two bickered, the Merry soared faster and faster, leaving the Navy's ships far behind.
The ice vanished, replaced by the golden warmth of sunlight and the glittering calm of the open sea.
Arthur stretched out on the deck, closing his eyes with a grin.
"Ahh~ finally over. That was… actually kinda exciting."
Three pairs of eyes turned toward him—Redfield's sharp, Crocodile's flat, Waldo's twitching.
They stared at him as though he'd just declared himself the World Government's new janitor.
"Exciting?"
"You call that exciting?"
"Are you insane?!"
In unison, they groaned.
"Exciting, my ass! Exciting your giant watermelon!"
Even the Merry's figurehead seemed to tilt downward, as if facepalming.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/FicHaven786