By early evening, they finally found a moment's respite at the Extortion Bar.
A group of four rushed inside and immediately slammed the heavy door shut behind them.
The audacity of killing a Celestial Dragon had instantly ignited the full fury of both the World Government and Marine Headquarters, who immediately launched a massive, unforgiving purge across the entire Sabaody Archipelago.
Facing the sudden, overwhelming Marine offensive, the pirates, who had gathered in formidable numbers for their own plans, were in no mood to surrender. They counterattacked with full, desperate force.
The battle had raged for a solid three hours before it gradually subsided, only when massive Marine reinforcements finally arrived to suppress the chaos.
Countless pirates were either killed or captured, while the rest scattered and vanished into hiding in the surrounding areas of Sabaody.
Though the conflict hadn't lasted long, the fighting was exceptionally brutal. According to the inevitable post-battle reports, 532 pirates were killed, over a thousand were arrested outright, while the Marines suffered 300 dead and over 2,000 injured.
In terms of high-end combat strength, the Marines clearly dominated the island. But the lower-ranked Marines, caught off guard by the sheer ferocity of the pirate counterattack, were heavily outmatched on the ground.
On the surface, the turmoil seemed to have calmed, but beneath the waves, a dangerous, darker current still stirred.
After giving everything they had to severely wound Zephyr, Rojen's crew had fled at top speed. They shifted positions dozens of times, traveling for nearly five or six hours before finally reaching this place.
They literally had nowhere else to hide.
Following their battle, a huge number of Marine reinforcements had flooded the area, and many of them were high-ranking combatants.
While the Admirals remained stationed at Headquarters to guard against the threat of the Golden Lion, ten Vice Admirals had already been dispatched to Sabaody.
The Sabaody Archipelago, situated at the end of the Grand Line, held immense strategic importance for the Marines. With Mary Geoise perched atop the Red Line and Marineford located nearby, this island was essentially the strategic gateway to the first half of the Grand Line.
Any disturbance here would instantly trigger a swift, thunderous Marine response. That was exactly why this island had always remained under long-term Marine occupation.
At this moment, Sabaody Archipelago was completely surrounded, Marines patrolled in organized waves, meticulously rounding up any remaining fugitives among the pirates.
The incident's ripples had even spread to nearby seas; hearing the terrifying news, pirates sailing close by went pale with fear, immediately reversing course. No one dared to get involved in this unfolding disaster.
"Whew…"
As the four entered the bar, they all let out a profound sigh of relief, their tense, exhausted bodies finally relaxing.
The day's chaos had been far too nerve-wracking.
"You four… what are you doing back here?"
Rayleigh asked curiously, leaning lazily against the bar counter. Beside him, the Dragon-Elephant Six were obediently cleaning up the place, sweeping the shattered glass from the earlier skirmishes.
"Captain!"
Seeing Rojen and his team, the six men shouted in excited relief.
"Sabaody's gone completely to hell. Plan A never even got off the ground, it's already over," Rojen said helplessly as he walked toward them.
"Oh? The whole island's been fighting all day, the noise was almost right up to the front door. Quite the spectacle," Rayleigh commented with a wry grin.
"I heard someone killed a Celestial Dragon. That's unbelievable."
"Yeah, the guy must be insane! Who would actually dare to kill a Celestial Dragon?"
"You can imagine what's coming, outrage from the Celestial Dragons, fury from the World Government. By tomorrow, the whole world will know about it."
The six who had worked in the bar earlier that day chattered noisily, having overheard all the frantic rumors spreading through the island.
At those words, Crocodile's lips twitched slightly. Trens's face stiffened, and he quickly lowered his head, avoiding the six men's gaze.
Rayleigh noticed the sudden tension in their expressions and frowned, a mild suspicion forming in his mind.
"What is wrong with you four?"
"I heard the people who shot the Celestial Dragon were four figures in black cloaks… and one of them was carrying a long, jet-black spear," Shakky added, walking over as she spoke.
But when her eyes landed on Rojen's group, she froze mid-sentence.
"Four people… and one with a long spear."
Hachi, sipping his drink through a straw, suddenly went completely still.
Everyone followed his gaze, and the realization hit them all at once, hard.
"N-no way…" Dragon-Elephant One's mouth dropped open, his eyes wide in absolute disbelief.
"You four… did this?" Rayleigh's expression turned utterly serious, and his deep voice filled the quiet room.
"I swear, it was an accident!" Trens looked completely miserable, practically on the verge of tears. He genuinely hadn't meant for things to escalate this far.
Crocodile, however, offered a defiant, bold grin. "Heh… we already fought an Admiral, what is there left to be afraid of now?"
Hearing Trens's reluctant confession, everyone else in the bar was struck speechless, their minds reeling with shock.
"You just go out for a stroll… and end up killing a Celestial Dragon," Shakky muttered, both horrified and amazed, unsure how to process the sheer scale of the chaos.
"In fact," Rayleigh said, his gaze deep and deliberate as he looked over the four of them, "I got another piece of news this afternoon."
"What news?" Shakky asked curiously.
"The four who killed the Celestial Dragon ran into a Marine Admiral, Zephyr, in Area 21… and they fought him."
His words exploded through the bar like a thunderclap. Everyone's eyes went wide as they whipped their heads back to stare at the crew again.
"An… Admiral!!"
"Captain, you fought an Admiral!?"
"Oh my god, are you all okay!?"
"We're fine," Rojen said quietly, his tone calm but heavy. "But it was… incredibly dangerous."
Through that battle, he had gained a whole new understanding of just how terrifying an Admiral truly was.
But at the same time, he had also come to understand himself, and his crew. Though still small and far from invincible, they had proven that they were now qualified to stand upon the world's grand, bloody stage.
"Zephyr was defeated by the four of you working together," Rayleigh said gravely. "He's been severely injured, and is now under medical treatment."
The words drew a collective, sharp gasp.
Everyone in the bar stared at the four in utter disbelief.
These four… had defeated a Marine Admiral?
"It was just luck," Trens said with a wry, exhausted smile. "Honestly, we barely escaped with our lives. If the fight had gone on any longer, we would've lost, maybe even died there."
An Admiral's strength was simply overwhelming. Even in the instant he pulled the trigger, Trens had felt sheer despair.
That acute perception, that inhuman physique, and his Observation Haki were a nightmare for a sharpshooter like him.
"You four really managed to stir up something the world will never forget," Rayleigh said, genuine admiration in his voice.
The four exchanged awkward looks. They'd only gone out for a bit of fun, they'd never planned to cause all this chaos. Everything that happened… was pure, disastrous accident!
"Still," Rayleigh continued, "though Zephyr's been badly wounded, the Marines' medical technology is first-class. He'll probably recover within two days."
"At that level, that's not enough," Rojen said, his voice calm but suddenly resolute. "We haven't yet drawn out Marine Headquarters' full strength."
Rayleigh raised a sharp brow. "So what are you planning?"
Rojen smiled faintly, a dangerous edge in his eyes.
"I've decided, when Zephyr recovers and shows himself again… we'll strike once more."
"Still the four of you?" Rayleigh asked.
Rojen shook his head lightly.
"No, just me."
(End Of This Chapter)
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