"Vice Admiral Garp!"
"This storm is too strange!"
"This isn't a normal weather pattern... Even the magnetic field in this area has shifted dramatically!"
"Damn it! What the hell is going on?!"
"…"
Amid the howling waves, a massive dog-headed warship roared through the raging wind and rain.
With every surge of the ocean, the warship was tossed into the air as if flung by a giant hand from the depths.
On the deck, Marines in cloaks struggled against the storm, gripping the wheel and doing their best to steer the ship forward.
"Keep pushing ahead! No matter what happens, we cannot let Roger escape!"
At the bow of the warship, Garp stood with his fists clenched, his dog-head cap drenched in rain. His eyes locked onto the hellish storm ahead as he gritted his teeth and shouted with a roar that nearly drowned in the thunder.
Cold rain streamed down his face, and the fatigue in his bloodshot eyes was unmistakable.
After half a month of relentless pursuit and drawn-out skirmishes, Garp and the elite Marine unit under his command were running on fumes. Any normal force would have called off the chase by now.
But Garp knew better than anyone—if they were this exhausted, then Roger's crew had to be in even worse shape.
This was their best chance to take down the Roger Pirates for good.
"Roger, I will never let you reach the 'Final Island'!"
His fists tightened until they cracked, faint flashes of black and red lightning dancing across his knuckles.
He knew—if he couldn't catch Roger now, there might never be another chance.
"Buru buru... buru buru..."
Just then, an urgent Den Den Mushi call rang out from inside Garp's coat.
The tone was sharp and panicked. Garp pulled out the military Den Den Mushi, frowned, and hung up without hesitation.
It was from Marine Headquarters.
He didn't even need to check—it had to be that bastard Sengoku.
"I can't afford to get distracted right now, Sengoku..."
He wiped rain from his face and muttered to himself.
He wasn't in the mood to take any nonsense orders. Even if the sky fell, it wouldn't change his goal.
He had only one mission—to capture Roger!
"Vice Admiral Garp! Urgent transmission from Admiral Sengoku!"
A cold voice suddenly came from behind him.
Bogard appeared, holding a military Den Den Mushi in his hands and speaking in a low, steady tone.
Garp rolled his eyes and cursed,
"Not answering!"
"That bastard Sengoku probably wants me to deal with some mess again!"
"Always making me clean up after him while calling himself a 'Strategic Genius'. He's more like a 'Strategic Moron'! I'm not doing anything that stupid!"
Bogard's mouth twitched as he stepped forward and said quietly,
"Vice Admiral Garp... the line's already connected..."
Garp: "..."
His face turned dark.
He glared hard at Bogard, snatched the Den Den Mushi from his hands, and forced a laugh.
"Bwahahaha, Sengoku! My dear friend! What can I help you with today?"
"But with your brilliance, I doubt you'd need my help, right?"
"Yep, exactly—so I'll go ahead and hang up now!"
But Sengoku's furious voice roared out from the Den Den Mushi:
"Garp, you bastard! Hang up on me again and I'll never give you senbei again!"
Garp froze mid-motion, grinding his teeth.
"Damn it, Sengoku! What do you want now?!"
He glanced toward the storm-shrouded, chaotic sea ahead, his voice resolute.
"I've got the Roger Pirates surrounded! I'm about to take them all down!"
Sengoku snapped,
"That's bullshit! Bogard already reported you lost Roger!"
Garp's mouth twitched.
That damn Bogard!
He turned to yell—but found Bogard had vanished without a trace.
Garp: "..."
He clenched his jaw.
"So what? It's only a matter of time before I catch Roger!"
"I'm not going back!"
"Whatever it is—just let that brat Daren handle it!"
Suddenly, Sengoku's voice on the other end turned ominously cold.
"But what if the thing that needs handling... is Daren?"
Garp was stunned.
...
Half an hour later.
A uniquely shaped dog-headed warship suddenly burst out of the vast storm and stumbled onto the surface of the sea.
On the battered vessel, the Marines—soaked to the bone—collapsed across the deck, completely spent. They stared at the clear skies and calm waters ahead, then turned back toward the storm that had darkened the entire horizon. An indescribable shock slowly crept onto their faces.
Just then, News Coos flew overhead, dropping fresh copies of the latest newspapers.
The Marines picked them up casually and began flipping through—until the headlines struck them like lightning. Their expressions froze, and the blood drained from their faces.
"This... how is this possible..."
"Vice Admiral Daren..."
"He's gone up against the World Government!?"
"..."
Their hands trembled uncontrollably as they read, fear seeping into their bones. Almost instinctively, they looked toward the broad back of Garp.
"Damn it!"
At the bow, Garp suddenly turned around and furiously kicked over a barrel. His bloodshot eyes were blazing red.
"Of all times—it had to be now!"
He glanced back toward the storm, his gaze seeming to pierce through the roaring rain and wind. In the distance, a massive vortex was beginning to form, arcs of lightning crackling within it.
A crushing sense of defeat flooded into Garp's eyes. Veins bulged across the backs of his hands and his forehead.
"Turn back!"
He barked the order in fury.
But before turning away, he took one last, long look behind him.
And in that brief moment, a deep, gut-wrenching sense of dread welled up in his chest.
He couldn't shake the feeling... that he had just missed something monumentally important.
...
New World — Pleasure District.
Top floor suite of the Central Hotel.
"I understand, my lords."
Stussy, her short golden hair impeccably styled, nodded solemnly to the military Den Den Mushi and said in a low voice,
"I'll mobilize all underworld channels and resources to track down Rogers Daren and the North Blue Fleet."
The Den Den Mushi on the other end immediately clicked off.
Staring at the now-drowsy device, Stussy paused in thought for several seconds before slowly rising from her seat.
She was dressed in the signature white bodycon dress of CP0 female agents, her long, shapely legs wrapped in black fishnet stockings—highlighting her curvaceous silhouette perfectly.
At that moment...
She slowly turned around, her gaze falling toward the corner of the room.
At some point, a blood-soaked figure had silently entered the suite.
He now sat on the plush leather sofa, fresh blood dripping steadily from his wounds.
His face was deathly pale. The aura he exuded was faint—fragile, like a dying flame in the wind.
Stussy stood still for a moment. Then, the corners of her crimson lips curled upward in a faint smile.
"Are you so sure I won't betray you?"
From her back, a pair of pitch-black, bat-like wings unfurled slowly. Her presence shifted dramatically—bloodlust and a killing intent began to radiate from her gleaming crimson eyes.
"The world's most wanted criminal... Rogers Daren."
..
For more chapters, feel free to follow me on P@treon.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon(.)com/PinkSnake