"Nightin? What are you talking about? Why change the target?"
In the command room, Nightin once again raised an objection, which made World visibly displeased. However, since Nightin was one of the few remaining officers who had stayed by his side until now, World was still willing to hear her out.
But it was only to hear the reason. No matter what, his decision would not change.
"Boa Hancock is different. Although she's a Shichibukai, she has close ties with the Beasts Pirates. Attacking her is not only a slap in the face to the World Government, it would also provoke the Beasts Pirates."
"After the Summit War, his title as the strongest is practically unshakable. It's not worth it, Captain World. Besides, back then you…"
"Enough! That was just my momentary carelessness!"
Seeing that Nightin was about to bring up their past battle, World cut her off directly.
World's prison experience was unlike that of other inmates. While other prisoners were bound by Seastone chains and had their lives worn away in endless darkness—
A rare few continued to train even in prison, like Bullet. Even during his days of captivity, he kept working on himself. Even in Impel Down's Eternal Hell, he was one of the strongest.
But World was frozen from the moment he was imprisoned. He didn't even experience what it felt like to be incarcerated. To him, those thirty years were just like a nap.
World's understanding of the outside world was still stuck thirty years in the past. In his mind, he was still the feared World Destroyer.
"But…"
"Nightin, that's enough... cough cough... leave for now... cough cough."
Sensing that World was about to explode from anger, Byojack quickly spoke up to stop Nightin from trying to persuade him further. As World's blood brother, Byojack could still get away with saying a few more things, but the others might not be so lucky.
"World, Nightin means well. Honestly, I don't really agree with this plan either. Maybe we should…"
"Enough. The plan will not change."
"World.."
"I heard Nightin has been with the Beasts Pirates all these years? Looks like she's no longer that ship doctor she once was."
"No, cough cough, it's just that everyone's been struggling to survive these years. It's simply a way of life. Besides, the critical parts of this ship were all funded by Nightin. Without her, we might not have been able to complete the ship today."
Byojack tried to explain for Nightin, but judging from World's impatient expression, he clearly wasn't listening. Instead, he began talking about something else.
"That woman is just a stepping stone. My real goal is to use this woman—someone recruited by the World Government—as a shield. As long as we reach Marineford smoothly, we can fire the giant cannon at Mariejois from there.
Just imagine it. Mariejois blown to pieces, Marines foaming at the mouth. What a beautiful sight that would be! Barorororo!"
"Cough cough... World! That cannon and this ship, they were supposed to be symbols of our freedom!"
"That's exactly why we're using them to strike the World Government! They're the biggest obstacle to our freedom! You all just need to follow orders obediently. My orders are absolute, even if you're my big brother!
Keep moving forward. End the battle before they have time to react."
Byojack's attempts to stop him were ultimately in vain. When he returned to face Nightin again, he could only shake his head helplessly.
"Cough cough... I'm sorry. World won't listen to anyone right now."
"Byojack, I'm not worried about anything else, but with Captain World like this... the one in danger is him!"
"Sigh."
Byojack thought back to decades ago. Back then, they had set sail chasing freedom. But now, he could no longer see the ideals they once held.
"There's no way. Unless he's defeated, World won't stop. Nightin, you're not a combatant. If it's too much for you, don't get involved in this. I'll talk to World."
Leaving those words behind, Byojack began improving World's plan. He hoped to launch a surprise attack before the enemy had time to react. According to Kuja's usual habits, they didn't pay attention to ships on the outskirts of the Calm Belt.
Under Byojack's orders, World's ship began to submerge, disappearing beneath the sea surface like a submarine. Diving was one of the ship's function, and they had poured a great deal of effort into building it.
Byojack intended to take advantage of Kuja's habits and sneak in quietly. But what he didn't know was that their movements had already been discovered.
"Captain Buggy! We've spotted World's ship! Judging by its direction, their target seems to be Kuja!"
"Captain Buggy, World's ship has started to submerge! What should we do?!"
[Damn it, why now of all times…]
Buggy had indeed accepted the summons, but he was only here to join in the chaos. In his view, with so many people around, he could easily take advantage of the confusion; there was no need to fight head-on. But he never expected to run straight into this group.
"Captain Buggy, let's just take him out! Use his head as a trophy to commemorate you becoming a Shichibukai.!"
"Yeah! If you take down World, the World Government and the Marines will treat us differently. You'll shoot to fame overnight!"
"Becoming famous, huh? That doesn't sound too bad…"
"Hey, hey, Buggy, do you even hear yourself right now? Are you seriously thinking about taking down World?!"
Seeing Buggy swayed by the allure of fame, Mr. 3 tried to snap him back to reason. He was one of the few normal people left in Buggy's crew.
"No, this is an opportunity… If that guy's target is Kuja, then all we have to do is let the Pirate Empress fight him, while we can ambush him. Mr. 3, I have a plan."
"What are you planning?"
"First, notify the Pirate Empress. Tell her World is heading to attack her."
"Then, wait a bit and notify Marine Headquarters. Tell them the Buggy Pirates are teaming up with the Kuja Pirates to attack the World Pirates."
"We'll just quietly follow behind and watch Kuja fight World."
"This place isn't far from Marineford. The Marines will arrive quickly. All we need to do is sit back and watch, then make a symbolic move at the last moment. Gyahahahahaha! That's the plan!"
"The Marines will see how great I am, and Kuja will owe us a favor. I really am a genius!"
In just a few minutes, Buggy had come up with what he believed to be a flawless plan. But he overlooked something important.
"Hello, is this the Kuja Pirates? We're the Buggy Pirates. World is heading your way. Captain Buggy says if you need help, he's willing to lend a hand… What? You people…hello?!"
"What happened?"
"Captain Buggy, they said they've never heard of any Buggy. And if you dare to bother them again, they'll take you down too…"
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