"Hey, hey~ I'm just a small-time pirate with a bounty of 3.5 billion Beli, you know~"
"Is it really necessary to start things off with such a grand spectacle?!"
As he stared at the four gigantic monstrous figures slowly emerging from the pitch-black magic circle beside Saint Saturn, a sharp glint of vigilance flashed through Red's eyes. He was already prepared to retreat at any moment.
Yet his lips merely smacked lightly, his tone filled with teasing mockery.
At this moment, even Marine higher-ups like Akainu and Aokiji couldn't help but freeze in shock at the sudden appearance of five colossal monsters—let alone the other Marines present.
The descent of the Five Elders seemed to drag the entire battlefield into an entirely different dimension.
After using special means to witness everything happening here, the other four Five Elders appeared as well—without wasting a single word.
The bald Elder, transformed into a mythical beast resembling a skeletal horse, directly drew the Shodai Kitetsu from his hand.
An endless, bone-chilling aura surged forth like a call from the land of death itself, causing the air to plummet to icy cold in an instant.
Slash!!!
Without the slightest wind-up, Saint Nusjuro swung a fierce slash straight toward Red's position.
In an instant, boundless cold condensed into razor-sharp icy impact waves that shot toward Red.
"So fast!!!"
A dangerous premonition flashed through Red's mind.
Even with Mewtwo's attribute template already loaded, he still felt an intense, spine-freezing chill.
Utterly confident in his danger-sense, Red hesitated not at all and immediately activated Teleport, narrowly evading Saint Nusjuro's frigid slash.
However, the Five Elders stationed far away in Mary Geoise had clearly already obtained preliminary intelligence on Red.
The instant Red's teleporting figure vanished, a massive black-winged bird shrouded in dark flames—Itsumade—locked onto his location and suddenly opened its razor-sharp beak.
"Zzz—!!!"
A burst of sound waves far beyond the limits of human hearing erupted from the monster's mouth.
Before Red could even stabilize himself in midair, a violent explosion suddenly detonated directly on his body.
BOOM!!!
Like a ravenous beast, raging flames swallowed Red whole, leaving him no chance to react.
"He's dead?!"
Vice Admiral Doberman, who had just disembarked, stood atop the ice and stared into the sky, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
As a veteran elite Vice Admiral—and a trusted subordinate of Akainu—he knew a fair amount about the World Government's inner workings.
But witnessing the Five Elders descend in full force still left him utterly shaken.
Who could have imagined that the supreme rulers of this world were, in truth, such grotesque and terrifying monsters?
Yet just as everyone believed Red had been eliminated by the Five Elders' joint assault, a frivolous voice rang out once more.
"Oh dear, honestly~"
"I'm not even a frontline combatant. Is it really necessary for so many people to gang up on just me?!"
Whoosh!
All eyes instantly turned toward the source of the voice.
What they saw was a bizarre, alien-like figure hovering high above, firmly protected by a pale pink energy barrier.
Naturally, this was Red—having activated Mega Evolution and entered Mega Mewtwo Y Form.
"He escaped again?!"
"What an annoying little brat!"
Seeing Red reappear in a form never mentioned in any prior intelligence, the Five Elders refrained from immediately pursuing him.
After all, their arrival here wasn't for the sake of a mere vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates.
"Stop wasting time on this brat. We don't have time to spare."
"Deal with the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates first."
"Send the order—have Sakazuki melt a passage through the ice. All fleets, continue advancing!"
"If that strange kid or the sea beast makes another move, we'll handle it."
Without hesitation, the Five Elders issued a rapid series of commands.
Although Red was also one of their targets—and an important vice-captain at that—after a round of probing yielded no results, they decisively shifted their focus.
After all, the other members of the Straw Hat Pirates wouldn't be nearly as troublesome.
High above, however, Red grinned widely after hearing everything they said. He promptly disengaged the energy-draining Mega form, reverting to human shape, and flipped his baseball cap backward.
"No need to go through all that trouble!"
"You're looking for my other companions, right?!"
"I'll just call them over for you!"
Laughing loudly, Red declared:
"The opening act is over, and all the main cast has arrived…"
"Isn't it about time for the true protagonists to take the stage?!"
Floating in the void like an actor about to exit the scene, Red rolled his shoulders and struck an extravagant curtain-call pose toward the Five Elders, the Marines, and the government forces below.
The next instant—
Several Hyperspace Holes abruptly opened around him.
Figures slowly stepped out from the pitch-black spatial wormholes, treading upon stable air currents and hovering effortlessly in midair.
"That is…"
Below, Marine commanders widened their eyes in shock, staring upward.
Monkey D. Luffy, fists clenched and itching for a fight.Roronoa Zoro, dual blades in hand.Sanji, cigarette between his lips.Usopp, riding atop a massive rhinoceros beetle.The Demon Child, Nico Robin.The Storm Witch, Nami…
One by one, figures whose names alone struck fear into the world suddenly appeared before everyone.
The impact they brought was even more electrifying than the sudden arrival of the monstrous Five Elders moments earlier.
Because—
This time, those who appeared were the very targets of this operation.
And the greatest enemies.
"Yo~ This is quite the rare lineup," Zoro grinned, standing atop the airflow summoned by Nami. A brilliant gleam flashed in his eyes as he muttered softly.
Beside him, Sanji slowly pulled out a black canister marked with the number "3."
It was a piece of exclusive technology from the Vinsmoke Family—the Raid Suit.
Although Sanji had already partially awakened his bloodline powers, the Vinsmoke Raid Suit was specifically designed to synchronize with corresponding lineage factors, unleashing even greater strength.
Having already proven his own power—and Judge's failure—through action, Sanji no longer had any reservations.
Learning that the suit could further amplify his strength, he chose to use it without hesitation.
After all, the Vinsmoke Family now served as subordinates of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Using the suit was nothing more than accepting tribute from underlings—it wasn't bowing his head to the Vinsmokes.
Besides, compared to all that nonsense, he had far more important things to do right now.
"Oi, moss-head!"
"Down there—those two are Fleet Admiral Akainu and Admiral Aokiji…"
Bang!!!
Mid-sentence, Sanji activated the Raid Suit and completed his transformation.
In an instant, a figure clad in a black cloak appeared among the Straw Hats—his face mostly concealed, with only shimmering golden strands of hair visible.
"So cool~!" Luffy's eyes sparkled with pure envy as he watched.
Usopp had his Green Vine armor.Chopper had custom gear made by Franky and Usopp…
At this point, the only one left feeling jealous of transformation gear was Luffy himself.
Yet during such a stylish moment, the Straw Hats collectively ignored him.
Sanji continued casually:
"The last time we fought Admirals, it wasn't satisfying."
"This time, let's see who takes down their opponent first."
"Hmph—no problem!"
Already brimming with battle intent, Zoro's aura surged outward like a tangible force, resembling a crimson-eyed emerald dragon glaring down from the heavens.
Then Zoro added:
"Just competing like this is boring. How about we add a wager?!"
"And why not?!"
Sanji, now a knight of the night, shot back without hesitation.
Zoro's grin grew even more feral.
"Fine then… the loser washes the winner's underwear and socks for an entire year!!!"
"Gah—!!!"
Sanji sucked in a sharp breath, eyes bulging.
He never imagined Zoro would propose such a horrifying bet.
But refusing wasn't an option.
After swallowing nervously, Sanji shot back:
"Hmph! Just don't you dare go back on it when you lose!"
"Oh, and by the way…"
"My underwear and socks are extremely high-end. Hand-wash only~!"
"You—!"
This time, it was Zoro whose eyes went wide.
But in the end, he answered with blazing conviction:
"As if mine aren't!"
BOOM!!!
In an instant, an overwhelming aura erupted from both Zoro and Sanji.
For a moment, even the five Five Elders—each wreathed in sinister black flames—seemed suppressed in terms of presence.
High above, seeing the two of them fired up, Red's lips curled into a scheming grin.
Just as he expected…
Placing these two next to each other before every battle always produced incredible results.
Watching Zoro and Sanji start arguing over who would take Akainu and who would handle the "slightly weaker" Aokiji, Red felt reassured and turned his attention back to the Five Elders below.
With a light chuckle, he said:
"Well then, esteemed Five Elders."
"The people you're looking for… should all be here now, right?"
"The Straw Hat crew…"
Saint Saturn's eyes burst with dazzling light at Red's teasing tone.
"You are far too arrogant!"
"You merely defeated the Big Mom Pirates…"
"Do you really think you can escape under the encirclement of the Navy and the World Government?!"
"No, no, no…"
Red raised a finger and replied with a grin:
"Thank you for your concern, Saint Saturn."
"But rest assured—we're not so arrogant as to believe we can oppose the entire World Government with just our current strength."
"That's why I invited a few helpers in advance."
"Look… aren't they here already?!"
"What?!"
Red's mocking tone once again puzzled the Five Elders.
But in the very next second, everyone with keen Observation Haki suddenly changed expression.
Before they could warn anyone, deafening noises erupted from both sides of the sea where the Five Elders and the Straw Hats faced off.
"Gurarararara…"
"So the Five Elders really are five ugly monsters. I wonder how the world will react once they see what you look like."
"Then again, it probably doesn't matter. The Celestial Dragons already look ugly enough—what's a few more monsters?"
"Wororororo~!"
"Well said, Whitebeard!"
"But who would've thought all Five Elders were Mythical Zoan users…"
"If we kill them, the sea will gain a few more Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits, won't it?!"
Amid thunderous laughter, two massive fleets advanced rapidly from opposite sides of the battlefield.
They were none other than the newly allied forces—
The Four Emperors Whitebeard Pirates and Beasts Pirates!
"Whitebeard… Kaido…?!"
Seeing these two pirate crews appear, both the Five Elders and the Marines were struck with sheer panic.
Akainu roared:
"Whitebeard! Kaido! Why are you siding with the Straw Hat Pirates?!"
"Gurarara~ Red Dog brat," Whitebeard laughed loudly."Since when do pirates need to report their actions to the Navy?!"
"One Marineford isn't nearly enough to erase what you've done to the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"This time, let's settle everything—Red Dog brat!!!"
"Gurarararara!!!"
Seizing this rare opportunity, Whitebeard slammed his massive bisento into the deck, unleashing Conqueror's Haki as vast and heavy as a mountain range, surging straight toward the Navy.
Kaido's eyes gleamed.
In the next instant, he transformed into a colossal azure dragon, soaring into the sky and releasing his own overwhelming Conqueror's Haki.
Under the combined pressure of two Emperors, countless Marines rolled their eyes back and collapsed unconscious.
Even seasoned elite soldiers stood no chance of staying awake under such an assault.
In mere moments—
Of the tens of thousands of elite Marines present, two-thirds were instantly incapacitated.
At this moment, the expressions of the Five Elders and Marine commanders alike turned incomparably grim.
Now they finally understood—
The Straw Hat Pirates' occupation of Totto Land had never been arrogance.
From beginning to end, it was a stage meticulously prepared for the World Government and the Navy.
All for—
This very moment.
They had been completely surrounded by pirates!!!
(End of Chapter)