Aboard the Divine Slave, disguised as a merchant ship under the Five Seas Trading Company.
Sora, who had altered his appearance to resemble the president of the Five Seas Trading Company, lay lazily along the ship's railing, bored out of his mind.
Beside him, the ever-adorable Perona was eagerly massaging his legs, trying to earn a reward — the prized Kumashi plush toy in his possession.
"I wonder where Kalifa and Laki are by now," Sora murmured, sipping a cold drink as he looked out toward the Sabaody Archipelago.
With Ace's execution approaching, the war at Marineford was about to erupt — a battlefield crawling with top-tier powerhouses. Even with two supreme-level swordsman experience cards in his pocket, Sora knew he needed more insurance.
That's why he was determined to acquire Brook's Yomi Yomi no Mi — the Revive-Revive Fruit — to bolster his survival odds.
After leaving the Florian Triangle, he had dispatched Kalifa, the former CP9 agent, and Laki, who possessed the White Feather Falcon fruit, to take Brook to Twin Cape and fulfill Sora's agreement with Laboon.
Kalifa, fiercely competent and completely loyal after swearing allegiance to Sora, was perfect for the job.
And Laki, with her lightning-fast flight speed and the support gear Reiju had prepared for her, could transport Brook to Twin Cape and back in just a few days.
Behind Sora, Anna quietly replied, "Master, by the looks of it, Kalifa and Laki should be arriving soon."
They had been gone for over a week, factoring in rest stops along the way — they were likely close.
Standing beside Anna, Shalria spoke up as well. "Master, if we plan to coat the ship, we'll need to head to Red Tree 50. That's where the shipwrights and coating engineers are based."
As a former Celestial Dragon, Shalria was very familiar with the Sabaody Archipelago's layout.
Sora shook his head. "No rush on coating the ship."
"I want to take a look at Red Tree Area 1 first."
That area was home to slave traders and human traffickers — potentially holders of Devil Fruit abilities. Sora was curious.
And while there, he might as well check out the infamous Auction House — a landmark of the Sabaody Archipelago.
Purururu~
Suddenly, the baby transponder snail in Sora's hand rang. He glanced at it — it was Reiju.
"Hello, Reiju?"
At that moment, Reiju was on standby aboard the Thriller Bark not far behind, along with Nami and the others.
Reiju's anxious voice came through the snail:
"Sora, come back for now. Hina just used a wiretapped transponder snail to tap into the Marines' communications. She intercepted something critical."
"The Navy's three Admirals have already left Marineford — they're heading to Sabaody to capture you!"
"So return to Thriller Bark for now. Use Moria's Shichibukai status to hide!"
Sora blinked, momentarily stunned.
He hadn't even landed on Sabaody yet — why were the Admirals already dispatched to capture him?
And not just one — all three?
Could it be… Hina?
No, that didn't make sense.
The thought flashed through his mind, but Sora immediately shook his head. He dismissed the suspicion.
If Hina were the traitor, she wouldn't be warning him now.
Just as Sora furrowed his brow in thought, two figures caught his attention, breaking his train of thought.
It was the recently escaped Flying Six duo — Ulti and Page One — fresh from the chaos in Area 18.
"Well, if it isn't my wife Ulti and dear brother-in-law Page One!"
"What are they doing on Sabaody?"
Seeing them on the shoreline, Sora raised an eyebrow and stood up from his lounge chair.
With Yamato and Smoothie still at large, neither of whom he could defeat at the moment, Ulti seemed like a more manageable target — especially with a sneak attack using negative ghosts.
Besides, their presence here, far from the New World, could only mean one thing: they were up to something.
On the other end of the line, Reiju rolled her eyes at Sora's shameless comment. She instantly knew what he was planning.
She was panicking about the Admiral situation, and this man still had time to chase women?!
Frustrated, Reiju considered hanging up, but ultimately restrained herself.
Beside her, Hina was still frantically cycling through the Navy's communication channels, using her bugged transponder snail to gather more intel on the Admirals' deployment.
With Kalifa away, Hina was the only one onboard with a Navy background. If she didn't uncover the reason behind the Admirals' movement, Sora would definitely suspect her.
That was the last thing she wanted.
Just then, Sora's voice came through the line again.
"Reiju, take the others and stay clear of Sabaody. Don't worry about me."
"With the Divine Slave, the Navy can't catch me."
"And tell Hina — I trust her. She doesn't need to overthink this."
Hina opened her mouth but said nothing for a moment.
Even in a situation like this… he still considered her feelings?
Reiju glanced at Hina and smiled. "You heard him. He trusts you."
"I know," Hina replied softly, then resumed tapping the Marine channels with renewed determination.
If he trusted her this much, she couldn't let him down.
[Ding! Hina's affection toward the host has increased…]
Seeing the message flash before him, Sora chuckled quietly.
Now he was sure — Hina hadn't betrayed him.
Then, with a leap, Sora vanished into the air, transforming into a bolt of lightning that streaked toward the shore, cutting off Ulti and Page One's escape.
"Who are you?! Why are you blocking our way?!"
Seeing the man blocking their path, Ulti instantly jumped off Page One's back and shifted into her hybrid form, sensing danger from the aura he emitted.
Due to Sora's disguise using his Palette ability, neither Ulti nor Page One recognized him as the very Godslayer they were meant to be avoiding.
Sora grinned at the wary duo.
"As elite members of the Beast Pirates, what are you doing here?"
Page One frowned. "If you know we serve Emperor Kaido, then stay out of this."
"No need for talk, Page. Let's just break through."
"I'll go first."
Ulti's fists ignited with Armament Haki. She crouched and lunged forward like a bullet, charging straight at Sora.
With the Admirals en route, she and Page One didn't have time to waste.
After all, knowing how the Beast Pirates operated, Queen would never risk waiting around for them once the Admirals arrived.
As Ulti lunged, Sora chuckled and snapped his fingers.
Snap!
A ghost suddenly appeared in front of him, colliding head-on with Ulti mid-charge.
The next second—
Ulti collapsed to her knees, hands on the ground, overcome with despair.
"Page… I'm sorry. As your big sister… I'm such a failure..."
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