Chapter 117: Meetings, Recruitment, and a Promised Encounter
The next day, a massive news story exploded across the globe, causing an unprecedented uproar.
The Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace, had been captured and was set for public execution. The entire world was in a state of shock.
This was a Commander from Whitebeard's crew. It was common knowledge that Whitebeard was the Strongest Man in the World and someone who fiercely protected his "sons." The Marines' decision to execute Ace publicly was an open declaration of war against the Whitebeard Pirates.
Who could possibly ignore such a thing? Certainly not Whitebeard.
Therefore, a world-shaking battle was guaranteed to break out.
Marine Headquarters was well aware of this. As soon as the news was released, they mobilized 100,000 elite soldiers and officers from Marine bases across the globe to gather at Marineford. Furthermore, all members of the Seven Warlords of the Sea were forcibly summoned. Any who refused would be stripped of their title and hunted down as criminals.
On the second day after the news broke, the Whitebeard Pirates collectively vanished. To be more precise, they slipped past the surveillance of the Marines and the World Government and disappeared from the radar.
This left Fleet Admiral Sengoku feeling deeply uneasy. He gathered the high-ranking Marine officers for a meeting to discuss the situation.
"What are your thoughts on the disappearance of the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Akainu spoke with a cold, calm voice. "Whitebeard's disappearance likely means they are hiding, planning a surprise attack. I propose we increase our scout network; we must find their location."
As soon as he finished, several Vice Admirals loyal to Akainu spoke up in support.
"Indeed, we must find Whitebeard."
"We cannot allow him to strike from the shadows."
Kizaru drawled lazily, "It's quite terrifying, isn't it? He is the world's strongest man, after all."
Aokiji remained silent, staring intently at his fingernails throughout the discussion.
At that moment, Vice Admiral Tsuru spoke up. "What we should be doing right now is immediately reinforcing the defenses at Impel Down."
Sengoku looked startled. "Tsuru, do you mean there's a chance Whitebeard will attack the Great Prison?"
"It is a possibility," Tsuru replied. "If they attack Impel Down and rescue Ace from within, they won't have to engage us in a head-on conflict."
Sengoku had to admit that made sense.
Tsuru continued, "Of course, this is just a guess. Based on what we know of Whitebeard, he isn't the type to shy away from a fight. More importantly, Impel Down is notoriously difficult to breach. Even Whitebeard might not be able to break through—especially since a certain heavy hitter is currently stationed there."
Sengoku knew exactly who she was referring to and let out a long sigh.
"Garp..."
After the sigh, Sengoku quickly regained his composure. He looked at everyone with a sharp, determined gaze.
"The bottom line is, the Whitebeard problem must be dealt with. Do not let him stay out of our sight for too long. Now, I want all of you to find a way to track them down and bring that pirate crew back under our surveillance. Understood?"
Akainu accepted the task without hesitation. "Leave it to me." He was determined to hunt Whitebeard down and leave him nowhere to hide.
Sengoku nodded in satisfaction before moving on to the second topic: the mobilization of the Seven Warlords.
While Sengoku was holding his meeting, Yumesaki was also holding one of his own. And the "vanished" Whitebeard Pirates were right there in attendance.
"I've already heard about Ace," Yumesaki said calmly. "On the day of the execution, I will send the entire Whitebeard crew to Marineford. Your job is simple: cause a massive ruckus and save Ace."
Hearing this, Whitebeard let out his signature laugh, "Gurararara! So we make a scene at Marineford while you carry out your own plans, Lord Yumesaki?"
"We will be attacking the Holy Land of Mary Geoise," Yumesaki stated openly.
Whitebeard realized the strategy. "So you plan to use us to keep the Marines occupied?"
Yumesaki nodded. "Hawkeye Mihawk of the Seven Warlords will also be there to assist you."
Whitebeard was surprised. "Hawkeye is one of yours too?"
"Not exactly one of mine, but he owes me a favor," Yumesaki replied.
Whitebeard gave Yumesaki a long, meaningful look. "Your methods are truly something else."
Golden Lion Shiki, Kaido, Big Mom, and now Hawkeye... Whitebeard couldn't fathom how this man could recruit so many legends. He was truly extraordinary. Combined with the group of monsters already by his side, his power far surpassed even the Rocks Pirates of old. It was terrifying.
"By the way, do you need me to send some people to help you?" Yumesaki asked.
While each Emperor was said to have power rivaling Marine Headquarters, that was mostly hyperbola. In reality, the Marines' total combat power far outweighed any single Yonko crew. The Marines had several Admiral-level fighters: Aokiji, Kizaru, Akainu, Sengoku, Garp, and candidates like Momousagi and Chaton.
The Whitebeard Pirates, on the other hand, only had a few who could hold their own at that level. Aside from Whitebeard himself, the others were still a step below a true Admiral. Even Marco, the First Mate, could only stall an Admiral for a limited time. In a war of attrition, they would lose.
The reason the original Paramount War was so bloody was that the Admirals weren't going all out. Garp was holding back the entire time, while Kizaru and Aokiji were just doing the bare minimum. Only Akainu fought with everything he had. Then there was Hancock's betrayal, Moria fleeing, Luffy bringing reinforcements from Impel Down, and Blackbeard arriving to cause chaos. Even with all that, the pirates still lost Whitebeard and failed to achieve anything significant.
But things were different now. Yumesaki, acting as the "butterfly," had changed too much. He was genuinely worried that Whitebeard wouldn't be able to withstand the full might of a focused Marine force and would be crushed at Marineford.
Whitebeard realized that Yumesaki didn't have much faith in his crew's strength. Normally, he would have been furious. But this time, he stayed silent. Even though he had returned to his prime, facing the entire elite force of the Marines was not something he could guarantee a victory in—at least not without a heavy cost.
The thought of many of his sons dying in battle weighed on him. If Yumesaki could provide some heavy hitters, it meant his sons wouldn't have to be sacrificed. Therefore, Whitebeard found himself unable to refuse the offer.
Seeing this, Yumesaki said understandingly, "I'll send some experts from the Big Mom and Beast Pirates to back you up, though I'll be taking Kaido and Charlotte Linlin with me to Mary Geoise."
"Thank you," Whitebeard said.
Even without their captains, those two crews were not to be underestimated. Katakuri and King the Conflagration were both Admiral-level threats who could tie up many opponents. With their help, the tide of the war would be completely different. Whitebeard felt a genuine sense of gratitude toward Yumesaki.
After seeing the Whitebeard Pirates off, Yumesaki barely had a moment to rest before Nico Robin walked in.
"Good news. Zephyr has been found."
Yumesaki's eyebrows shot up. "Where is he?"
"In the New World. Shall we depart immediately?" Robin asked. They had previously discussed recruiting more powerhouses to face the World Government. At the time, they had listed Zephyr, Garp, and even Aokiji.
However, as their ranks grew, the need for these individuals had lessened. In Robin's view, whether they recruited Zephyr or not wasn't a dealbreaker anymore.
"Let's go. Once he's healed, he's still an Admiral-level combatant."
Yumesaki stood up. Guided by Robin, he located Zephyr's ship out at sea. The recruitment process was surprisingly smooth. Despite a small initial scuffle, the end result was Zephyr joining Yumesaki's cause.
Yumesaki didn't treat him poorly, either. He took Zephyr to Egghead Island and had Tsunade use the Ope-Ope Fruit to give him a new arm. Then, he used the Phoenix fruit's power to cure the man's chronic asthma.
Just like that, "Black Arm" Zephyr was back at his peak.
But Yumesaki wasn't done yet. He injected Zephyr with the Superhuman Serum and had him consume the Warp-Warp Fruit and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. With these three powers combined, Zephyr declared that he felt so strong that even the Five Elders and the Holy Knights didn't seem like a threat anymore. No matter how strong the Holy Knights were, could they really beat someone wielding three Devil Fruit powers?
At the same time, Zephyr finally understood the foundation of Yumesaki's confidence. The ability to mass-produce Devil Fruits alone was enough to shake the World Government's rule. Not to mention the ability to let one person eat multiple fruits. It was illogical and unbelievable. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Zephyr would have called it a bluff. Now, he felt victory was certain.
The only thing Zephyr wasn't happy about was the number of pirates under Yumesaki's command. Kaido, Big Mom, Whitebeard—they were all technically working for him. If Yumesaki hadn't promised that these pirates wouldn't be allowed to hold power after the World Government was toppled, Zephyr never would have joined. In his eyes, pirates were bottom-feeders who had no business being in charge. If their nature didn't change, it would be a disaster for the common people.
Yumesaki knew this. So, in front of Zephyr, he had Nico Robin contact Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, to request a meeting.
Dragon, upon hearing that the person behind Nico Robin wanted to meet, agreed almost instantly. He had been waiting for this day for a very long time.
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