East Blue
Cocoyashi Village
Over the years, Nami had grown from a little girl into a slim, beautiful young woman.
Her nickname, "Little Thieving Cat," had already spread across the surrounding waters.
"Hmm~"
Nami lay on the grass like a lazy kitten, stretching her slender waist while kicking her legs up and tapping her heels against her hips. She sighed and complained to Nojiko, who was beside her:
"I can't believe Lynch hasn't visited us in years! I was starting to think he was having an affair with Bell-mère."
"Do you know any way to get to West Blue?"
"West Blue?!" Nojiko was startled.
Leaving West Blue wasn't easy—even for Lynch. But for 99% of people, crossing seas was nearly impossible.
Most would never leave their home waters in their lifetime because each journey meant risking death.
"I want to help Lynch." Nami's voice was firm.
"He helped us so much before. Now that he's in trouble, we can't just sit back and do nothing!"
"You?" Nojiko glanced at her up and down before smacking Nami's butt.
"Oww! What was that for?!"
"I'm knocking some sense into you! A little girl like you? What do you think you're gonna do? Be cannon fodder? Some random guy could sneeze and you'd be gone."
"I knooow~" Nami stuck out her tongue playfully.
"Who said anything about fighting? I just want to give him the money I've saved up over the years."
"Wait… what did you just say?!"
Nojiko put on an exaggerated expression. "Oh my God, did I hear that right? Our little miser cat is actually willing to give money to someone?"
She leaned in with a teasing grin. "You must have fallen for Lynch, huh? Let me tell you, he's the Emperor of the West Blue. You should give up on that idea before it's too late."
"Who said I like him?!"
Nami sat up abruptly, her face flushed. From the extra-dimensional pocket forming on her chest, she carefully pulled out the ruby brooch Lynch had given her and gently rubbed it.
"I just want to help him however I can."
...….
West Blue
Lynch stood with his forces beneath the Red Line at the entrance to Reverse Mountain, waiting.
An army of 600,000 aboard warships stretched across the sea for hundreds of miles.
Unfortunately, Lynch's size had yet to break 500 meters. The further he grew, the slower his progress became. After reaching 490 meters, every additional meter was a struggle.
In the past month, he had only grown four meters. The remaining six would take at least another month and a half—but there was no time to wait.
Still, the past few months hadn't been without good news.
First, Enel and Moria returned from their honeymoon in outer space.
Their arrival was a huge boost for the West Blue.
The Golden Emperor, Tezoro, also arrived with his subordinate, Bakara, to lend support.
A week ago, the Empress arrived with Marigold and Sandersonia.
Meanwhile, with the help of Tom and Jerry, Spike mastered the Swordsman form.
...
Lynch stood at the bow of a Pluton-class battleship, a group of powerful figures gathered behind him.
Excluding himself, there were two individuals with Admiral-level combat strength: Gion and Enel.
The number of Shichibukai-level fighters had grown significantly, now totaling five:
Doflamingo, Moria, Loki, Hancock, and Kuina.
At the elite Vice Admiral level, there were four: Robin, Tsunade, Mark, and Kakashi.
Nine others held standard Vice Admiral-level strength.
Tashigi, Iron Punishment, Uchiha Mikoto, Reiju, Pika, Trebol, Monet, and two Vice Admirals from West Blue rounded out the high command.
The number of Rear Admirals was overwhelming.
Beyond familiar names like Marigold, Sandersonia, Kujaku, Shikamaru, Garrett, Yakushi Kabuto, Ino, Chōji, Baby-5, and the Nine Giants, there were many more Rear Admirals from West Blue.
Notably, Baby-5 had grown much stronger under Lynch's training.
Her Weapon-Weapon Fruit now allowed her to transform into any weapon, as long as she understood its structure and could withstand the transformation.
A single visit to the weapons research and development department with Lynch had already expanded her potential significantly.
…
Aside from these confirmed fighters, there were also a few individuals whose strength remained uncertain but tended to grow when facing powerful opponents:
Tom, Jerry, and Spike.
Others, like Baccarat, Perona, and Sugar, were also present but unpredictable in battle.
Meanwhile, some individuals had stayed behind in the royal capital instead of joining the battlefield, including Hill, Crayon Shin-chan's family, and Caesar Clown
…
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The war was about to begin.
Dark clouds stretched for hundreds of miles, pressing down like a heavy weight on everyone's hearts. The air was thick with tension.
The wind had died, and not a single Sea King dared to stir beneath the waves.
Onboard the warships, 600,000 soldiers stood in silence, gripping their swords and rifles tightly. Their breathing was heavy, their mouths dry despite the rush of adrenaline.
Everything was unnaturally still, a sign that this battle would be unlike any before.
"They're here! The enemy is coming!"
A lookout's urgent voice shattered the silence.
From the observation deck, the scout had his telescope fixed on Upside Down Mountain. At the peak, a ship had emerged, riding the powerful currents upstream.
And behind it—an endless fleet of pirate ships.
Lynch's golden eyes gleamed as he gave a calm but firm order. "Hold fire. Do not attack Reverse Mountain yet."
The currents of Upside Down Mountain were treacherous, filled with deadly rocks and sheer cliffs. Even the original Straw Hat crew had nearly perished navigating it.
The Red Line split the world in two, and Reverse Mountain stood at its heart the only passage connecting the seas.
The powerful currents from all over the world converge at Reverse Mountain, creating a force so strong that it can carry massive ships upstream like a waterfall.
For a person caught in that flow, the impact alone is enough to shatter bones.
No pirate who has fallen into these waters has ever survived.
Kaido and Big Mom's forces may have tens of thousands of elite fighters, but the rest even veteran New World pirates would likely lose at least a hundred or two hundred thousand men just trying to cross Reverse Mountain.
Kaido might be able to protect ten or twenty thousand of them, but beyond that, even he would be powerless.
This was the advantage of defensive warfare.
Without lifting a finger, Lynch's side would watch the enemy bleed lives just to reach the battlefield.
That was why he ordered his troops not to fire artillery yet. The violent currents near Reverse Mountain were unpredictable, and even his own warships risked being sucked in if they got too close.
Only the main guns of the large and super-large Pluton-class battleships had the range to attack effectively.
More importantly, this passage wasn't just for war West Blue's own people would need to use Reverse Mountain in the future.
This battle wasn't the end.
Reverse Mountain was part of the Red Line. Lynch wasn't worried about destroying it completely, but if the bombardment made the passage too treacherous for ships, West Blue would be cut off from the rest of the world.
Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't risk damaging Reverse Mountain's terrain.
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
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