"It's all over."
"Yeah, it's all over."
On Kuja's Perfume Yuda, Hancock and Olga, who had evacuated in time, watched as the Groseade slowly sank into a sea of flames. The flag that once belonged to World burned to ashes in the fire, and World's life reached its end.
"He wasn't like this before. Decades ago, World still cared deeply for his companions. That time when Byojack was captured, we chased through a stormy night for an entire day just to rescue him."
Gazing at the sinking Groseade, Nightin sighed.
That was the era of her youth. Even if her appearance could be preserved through special means, the traces left by time on her heart could never be erased.
What she had experienced would never be forgotten. Those were her cherished memories.
"Though it might not be appropriate to say this, Aunt Nightin, from the moment World left prison, or rather, from the moment he was betrayed by someone from the World Government, he was no longer the man he used to be.
With his ability, he probably could have escaped if he'd really tried, but he made the worst possible choice."
Olga saw it all clearly. Not long after they left, World regained consciousness, but he didn't choose to flee. Instead, he launched an attack directly at Akainu's warship.
At that moment, World didn't even want to bring Byojack with him. He hoped Byojack would escape using a lifeboat. However, after World launched his surprise attack, Byojack chose to pilot the burning Groseade and ram it toward Akainu's warship.
As for Sebastian and Gairam, who had previously gone to attack Buggy, although Buggy wasn't their match, his Chop-Chop Fruit had a certain restraining effect on Gairam's Cube-Cube Fruit.
Combined with the gang of underlings and Buggy's absurdly good luck, even though they were utterly defeated, they managed to hold out until the Marines arrived.
Earlier, Buggy had assumed Akainu would support him. Instead, Akainu included Buggy as a target of his attack. Now, Buggy's subordinates were fleeing across the water, with the especially loyal ones carrying his feet so that he could "fly" across the sea surface.
Of course, Buggy was no match for Gairam and Sebastian either. His custom-made Buggy Ball was of questionable power. According to him, it was a bomb capable of destroying the world, but in reality, it was more like a party trick.
In serious battles, it had never proven effective. When Akainu unleashed his indiscriminate firepower, Sebastian took Gairam and dove into the water, fleeing into the distance.
Just like Nightin, when they reached safety, all they could see was the shattered remains of the Groseade.
"Well, I'll head back now. I've been out long enough this time. Hancock, see you next time."
"Sister Olga, it looks like Akainu isn't leaving right away. According to our agreement with the World Government, the Marines aren't allowed to set foot on Kuja. Why not wait until he's gone?"
By now, dusk was falling. If he stalled a little longer, it would be nighttime, and she could use the darkness as an excuse to keep Olga for another day. But Olga didn't care about such things.
Olga was extremely experienced at slipping away right under Akainu's nose.
"It's fine. From this distance, he won't be able to detect me. Besides, it's not like I won't be back. See you next time."
In the end, Olga left Kuja with Nightin. Hidden under illusion, the Shadow Fox Ship effortlessly passed through the Marine encirclement.
Some time later, on another island in the Calm Belt, the Shadow Fox Ship temporarily docked.
Olga often came to the Kuja region and was familiar with the surrounding terrain. This was the only island near Kuja. Not only did it have a water source, but it also had its own ecosystem.
By observing the movements of seabirds over the sea, one could easily determine that there is an island nearby; after all, seabirds also needed a fixed place to roost.
According to Olga's estimation, if Sebastian and the others had successfully escaped, they would definitely be resting here. The island was also marked on the Groseade's sea chart. Olga came here hoping to try her luck.
After all, those two were also Nightin's old teammates, and Nightin probably still had things she wanted to say to them.
As it turned out, Olga's gamble paid off. Here, she indeed encountered Sebastian and Gairam, who had escaped the battle underwater. After Nightin relayed what happened at the end, both of them fell into silence.
They could sense the changes in World as well, especially Sebastian, who was blind and therefore more sensitive in other ways.
World didn't seem to have changed much, but the tone of his voice had long since become very different from before.
"What are your plans now? The current World Pirates have basically disbanded. Do you have any plans? Want to come with me?"
Nightin looked at her former companions and extended an invitation.
Gairam was a shipwright, and Sebastian, being a Fish-Man and giant hybrid, had his own unique qualities. Their combat strength was decent, and if they were interested, Nightin wouldn't mind giving them a recommendation.
"I'll pass."
"Me too. World made a terrible choice, but I enjoyed sailing with him. I'm not planning to start a new voyage."
"Sebastian and I have already talked. We plan to find a place to live in seclusion together. We originally wanted to ask you, but it looks like that's unnecessary now."
"Let's meet again if fate allows."
Scratching his now completely bald head, Gairam gave his response. Nightin and Olga didn't try to persuade them. After Nightin treated their wounds, she saw them off from the island.
However, not long after they left, the island welcomed a new group of guests - Buggy.
Their ship had been destroyed by Akainu's indiscriminate attacks. Akainu didn't even give them a chance to approach the warship. Originally, Buggy's crew had tried to land on Kuja, but they were nearly turned into swiss cheese by gunfire.
In the end, they fled here.
"Captain Olga! Another Shichibukai has arrived, how should we deal with him?"
"Shichibukai? Isn't that Red-Nose? He's an old acquaintance. Prepare to return to Onigashima. I'll just play with him a little."
At Olga's command, the pirates on board began preparing for the return voyage, while Buggy and his crew found themselves in a new predicament.
"Captain Buggy! Damn it, no matter which way we go, we can't get off this beach!"
"Yeah, it's right in front of us, but we just can't reach it!"
Compared to his subordinates, Buggy was also panicking, but he couldn't show it. Deep down, he had already recalled a similar experience from the past.
He had encountered something like this before, and not just once, but twice!
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