Across the night-shrouded ocean, flames erupted in violent succession as the battle reached its crescendo. Simultaneously, elite warriors from both the Marine forces and opposing factions demonstrated their overwhelming prowess, launching devastating attacks that completely ignored the conventional limitations of marine warfare. Some combatants unleashed incredibly powerful techniques at extreme ranges, treating the vast expanse of water as merely another battlefield to be conquered.
Time crawled forward through the chaos.
The entire sea surface churned with cannon fire and the savage cries of battle, transforming the sacred waters around Twin Capes into a maritime hellscape.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku had never imagined that despite their meticulous preparations, they would still find themselves caught so thoroughly off guard.
First, Revolutionary Army infiltrators had penetrated Marine ranks, sowing chaos from within their own formations.
Then, an unexpected tide of troublemakers, none affiliated with the Hell Pirates, emerged from the ocean depths like vengeful spirits. These forces included pirates, criminal organizations, mafia syndicates, and all manner of lawless elements united in their defiance of Marine authority.
Among them were humans alongside other races, but without exception, all possessed extraordinary aquatic capabilities. Some, such as fishmen, merfolk, and half-fishmen, leveraged their natural racial advantages to circumvent marine detection systems entirely. Others employed sophisticated equipment resembling advanced submarines, allowing them to approach undetected through the depths.
These sudden reinforcements represented only a fraction of the total forces involved, yet their strategic timing proved devastating.
The prolonged battle had created critical vulnerabilities in the Marine formation, allowing numerous hostile forces to penetrate their defensive perimeter and directly threaten the core battlefield.
The fundamental issue lay in the Marines' strategic necessity to preemptively intercept key targets: the two Yonko and the Revolutionary Army's main fleet. This imperative had diverted their most powerful combatants, creating openings that smaller players could exploit with devastating effectiveness.
Every faction shared a unanimous objective: capture or eliminate the Hell Pirates' captain, the legendary God Slayer Oboro.
However, the forces under Sengoku's command were already stretched to their absolute limits containing these opportunistic troublemakers, desperately working to create an opening for the main fleet to encircle and annihilate the Hell Pirates' modest flotilla. The stark reality remained undeniable, the Hell Pirates consisted of merely three vessels carrying a few hundred individuals. Even if these crew members possessed supposedly divine powers and demonic capabilities, they would inevitably be crushed through overwhelming numerical superiority.
It would simply require time and sustained pressure.
Deafening explosions surrounded the warships while thick smoke filled the air, transforming visibility into a nightmare of fire and shadow.
Sengoku launched himself from his flagship's deck, shooting toward an approaching pirate vessel with terrifying velocity. Activating his Buddha-Buddha Fruit powers, his body expanded like an inflating balloon, transforming into a towering golden Buddha whose presence radiated divine authority. His colossal palm descended with crushing force, denting and pulverizing the entire enemy ship in a single devastating blow.
Pirates scattered like fallen leaves, hurled through the air before crashing into the churning waters below.
After several tense moments, Sengoku returned to his normal size and stood atop the slowly sinking wreckage, his expression marked by deep weariness despite their tactical success.
A familiar dark silhouette flashed past his position.
It was Garp.
"What's the situation?" Sengoku called to his longtime friend and comrade.
"Those three ships have been completely destroyed, but he's nowhere to be found. Not only is Oboro missing, but the entire Hell Pirates crew has vanished without a trace. No one knows when they abandoned their vessels or where they've gone." Garp's expression carried unusual gravity as he delivered his report.
The legendary Marine hero had personally assaulted the Hell Pirates' flagship, systematically eliminating every "lesser pirate" aboard, and conducted an exhaustive search of the battlefield. Yet the primary target remained frustratingly elusive.
"Have these pirates already infiltrated our formation?" Garp gestured toward the chaotic battle scene surrounding them, where several enemy vessels had successfully penetrated the Marines' defensive lines.
"We have internal problems," Sengoku's eyes darkened with the implications.
Someone was covertly assisting the God Slayer, though Sengoku couldn't determine whether this aid came from a traitor within their ranks. It remained equally possible that critical intelligence had leaked through other channels, providing external forces with comprehensive knowledge of Marine movements and deployment strategies.
The enemy seemed to possess intimate knowledge of every warship's position and patrol area, enabling them to penetrate the core battlefield with maximum efficiency and minimal resistance.
This marine engagement involved numerous officers from Marine Headquarters, and any one of them could have inadvertently or deliberately leaked sensitive information to hostile forces.
Such breaches weren't necessarily intentional, accidents were equally dangerous in warfare of this magnitude.
After all, this confrontation with the Hell Pirates was being observed by the entire world, creating unprecedented media attention and information pressure.
Too many powerful individuals and organizations desperately wanted to understand every detail of the unfolding conflict, and the prime suspect for information brokerage was the notorious "Big News" Morgans, whose intelligence network rivaled government agencies.
"Moreover, it's not just pirates seeking involvement. There are far more participants trying to influence this battle than we anticipated, and someone is definitely orchestrating this chaos from the shadows!" Sengoku drew a deep breath, surveying the raging battlefield with strategic analysis. They could identify the surface-level enemies clearly enough:
The Four Emperors' representatives, Revolutionary Army forces, various armed revolutionary groups, non-member nations harboring grievances against the World Government, and they had even captured several notorious bounty hunters among the combatants.
Yet they had still dramatically underestimated their opposition. Hidden forces remained concealed in the shadows, manipulating events beyond their current understanding.
"He cannot escape our net, regardless of which direction he chooses or when he makes his move," Sengoku declared, clenching his fists with renewed determination. "He has simply relocated from this immediate area. Our people are positioned and waiting for him elsewhere, covering every possible escape route! Let's handle this current situation first, some participants are already considering retreat, apparently realizing the significance behind the God Slayer's disappearance."
"Understood," Garp nodded with grim acceptance.
The battle raged onward.
Meanwhile, high above the cloud cover...
The seven figures who had been "flying" through the night sky suddenly halted their aerial movement in perfect synchronization.
Oboro, manipulating atmospheric currents with precise control, positioned Dom and the others safely behind him while advancing alone to face the approaching threat.
"Fufufufufu..."
A distinctive laugh echoed through the thin air.
Doflamingo, wrapped in his characteristic pink feathered coat, stood suspended in the sky through his String-String Fruit powers, his feet balanced on nearly invisible threads that glinted like silver wire in the moonlight.
Oboro smiled beneath his hat brim, lifting his gaze to meet Dover's through those ever-present red sunglasses.
He chuckled softly, "We meet again, Joker."
"Vice Admiral Tsuru is indeed as sharp as her reputation suggests. She deduced everything perfectly."
"Fufufufufu... That old woman remains a formidable opponent even I approach with caution! Never underestimate her strategic mind!" Dover replied with layered meaning in his tone.
"What? Planning to stop me?" Oboro remained completely unconcerned by the implied threat.
"Fufufufufu... I'm hardly the only obstacle you'll face tonight."
Dover's expression carried arrogant confidence as he gestured broadly.
Oboro extended his observation abilities throughout the surrounding area, detecting no immediate additional presences nearby.
"I arrived early intentionally to provide you with a warning," Dover continued with his characteristic unsettling grin.
"And how exactly do you expect me to thank you?" Dover suddenly shifted conversational direction.
"Thank you?" Oboro feigned confusion at the unexpected question.
"Naturally. Your current value extends far beyond the numerical bounty posted by the World Government. Ambitious individuals across the globe are willing to pay any price to obtain you. I also helped establish an astronomical bounty through the New World's underground networks, fanning the flames and inspiring quite a few desperate souls to action. Otherwise, how could so many people risk everything to create this chaos and occupy the Marines' attention?"
"Before tonight's battle commenced, I attended the mandatory Shichibukai briefing as protocol demanded. The Marines' complete deployment strategy is no secret to someone in my position."
"Oboro, I have provided you with invaluable assistance."
"Haha." Oboro's laugh carried genuine amusement.
Dover's credit-seeking attitude clearly demonstrated that after experiencing the intoxicating taste of 'evolution,' his hunger for power had only intensified further.
It also confirmed that Dover remained deeply attracted to the partnership they had previously discussed.
Whoosh!
In a single fluid motion, Oboro appeared directly before Dover, their faces mere inches apart as their gazes locked with electric intensity.
"Insufficient. Your sincerity falls short of my expectations."
"Furthermore, your role isn't here, not tonight. Don't engage in meaningless gestures, because they won't serve as bargaining chips for power! Your leverage will only materialize after I successfully defeat the Four Emperors. Taking these minimal risks to curry my favor won't prove easy. I want to witness your true courage. I will fulfill my obligations, you will fulfill yours, only then will our partnership be properly established."
"Payment won't be rendered until you complete the work."
Oboro spoke each word with deliberate emphasis.
Dover remained silent, a prominent vein bulging on his forehead as tension radiated through his entire frame.
His fingers twitched involuntarily while his aura adopted an increasingly menacing and volatile quality.
After several moments of eerie, murderous silence, Dover suddenly erupted in laughter. "Fufufufufu... I genuinely want to kill you right now."
Oboro, struck by sudden realization, ignored Dover's boastful posturing entirely and gestured for Yuri and the others to approach their position before preparing to continue their journey.
He moved past Dover, ready to depart without further discussion.
"Sengoku already anticipated you might abandon your crew," Dover called after him, his voice carrying ominous implications. "So he dispatched us to capture several of your people as 'insurance.' My presence here should make the meaning crystal clear. Those forces waiting ahead are extraordinarily dangerous, especially that Hawkeye."
"Fufufufufu, try not to die. I'm genuinely looking forward to our future collaboration."
"Watch your own back... and be careful she doesn't discover this arrangement."
Dover's voice gradually faded into the distance as his body plummeted freely through the clouds, vanishing into the darkness below.