The pirates came much faster than Sherwin expected.
Barely two days after leaving Foodvalten Island, pirate scouts had already shown up near the Dodo Advance. Before long, large fleets began closing in from all directions.
Most of the pirate flags hanging from those ships hadn't appeared in the manga, but in this era they were all well-known names on this sea.
Even the weakest among them had a captain with a bounty of over two hundred million.
In other words, the entire group was at least Supernova-level.
Since Sherwin plan from the start was to lure these pirates toward the G-5 branch and drag Vergo into the water, he didn't switch the Dodo Advance into dragon form.
He only activated the flame-jet system briefly to break through their encirclement, then kept leading the pirates forward at a steady distance…
Even though he wasn't entirely sure at the time if the next island was actually where the G-5 branch was located.
Of course, they weren't just focused on running. From time to time, the restless Jinx, Klee Meow, and the still-training Shirahoshi would fire a few shots back at the pursuers.
Purah Meow would also occasionally pull out a few new guardians for field testing.
This helped keep the pirate aggression locked onto them. If anyone among the pirates saw through Sherwin intentions—whether they tried to cut ahead or slip away early—it would become a huge problem for him.
There was also another issue…
With the prolonged chase, more and more pirate ships were being dragged along. If they didn't thin out the numbers first, Vergo might realize the situation looked bad and take the G-5 marines and bolt.
With any other marine branch, this would almost definitely never happen—but with G-5, the possibility was very real.
Fortunately, this problem didn't trouble Sherwin for long, because…
The Yonko crews had arrived.
Katakuri and Jack came from different directions, yet reached the area almost simultaneously.
Without needing any discussion, the two cooperated immediately and launched attacks on the other pirates competing for the target.
Some of the quicker-thinking pirates withdrew the moment they saw the BIG MOM and Beast pirate flags.
Those who reacted too slowly—or simply refused to give up—were wiped out on the spot by the combined force of the two Yonko crews.
"Tch! What a waste…"
Sherwin slapped his thigh in frustration.
There had been plenty of Devil Fruit users in that group, and he had been planning to crack them open like blind boxes once the real fight began.
But right now wasn't the time to care about that. Yonko crews were nothing like the pirates before them they couldn't be dealt with like it was child play.
And…
Their arrival was far earlier than Sherwin had predicted.
In the manga, Robin stayed with the Straw Hats for a long time, and neither Big Mom nor Kaido made any sudden moves. The crew even trespassed on their territories later, and neither Yonko showed any desperate urgency to get Robin…
So why is it different for me?
Did Doflamingo slip in some extra personal agenda when spreading the information?
Unable to figure it out, Sherwin decisively dumped the blame onto the person he had the deepest grudge against—Doflamingo.
Meanwhile, after driving away or eliminating their competitors, Katakuri and Jack easily reached an agreement: capture Nico Robin first, then discuss how to divide her afterward. With that settled, they began closing in on Sherwin group together.
Even though a new set of pursuers had taken over—and their numbers were far fewer—Sherwin didn't change his plan. He continued steering the Dodo Advance toward what he believed to be the direction of the G-5 branch.
Katakuri and Jack kept up the chase, but the Dodo Advance was far faster than anything they sailed.
Their cannon fire and other long-range attacks were useless against the perfect counters from Link Meow and Sherwin, and with the weapons Jinx and Purah Meow had tinkered together—whose range far exceeded the norm…
As for the Beast Pirate Mammoth, forget closing the distance—Sherwin was deliberately slowing down just so they didn't fall completely out of sight.
Katakuri situation was a little better than Jack his Mochi Dumpling was faster than the Mammoth, and he could use his powerful Observation Haki to foresee Jinx bombardments.
It only made the chase a bit easier for the Big Mom Pirates—catching the Dodo Advance, which still wasn't going full speed, was impossible.
The other ships accompanying him fared no better than the Beasts.
With two Yonko crews pursuing them at full force, Sherwin and his group soon approached their destination…
"Hahahahaha! It really is G-5! Klee Meow, you're the best!"
From afar, Sherwin spotted the clearly recognizable Marine base on the island, the massive "G-5" painted across its outer wall.
He instantly beamed, scooping up the plushie and giving her a kiss.
"Mhm mhm! Klee is super amazing, meow!"
(=`=)
The little plushie wasn't modest at all—she wiggled her tiny head proudly while waving her little paws in self-praise.
Meanwhile, as Sherwin carried two "big surprises" toward the G-5 base, Vergo finally recovered from his shock.
Especially after seeing Sherwin Dodo Advance, he instantly understood the situation…
He just wasn't sure whether Sherwin had intentionally brought those pirates here or had simply fled all the way to this place.
But either way, he was already dragged into the mess.
"Damn Hunter!"
Vergo cursed under his breath, then quickly mobilized the Marines stationed in the base.
Just as Sherwin had predicted, Vergo had indeed considered fleeing with the Marines.
But with a sudden flash of insight, he realized he could use the chaos to seize Nico Robin.
Although he still didn't fully understand Heavenly Yaksha arrangements, keeping Nico Robin in the Donquixote Family hands was far better than letting Sherwin take her away.
Under Vergo orders, Marine warships sailed out of the port one after another, forming a blockade in front of Sherwin and his group.
"Sherwin! Looks like those Marines plan to hit us together with the pirates, meow!" Sanji Meow shouted from atop the mast where he stood watch.
"Heh, I already expected this."
Sherwin never believed Vergo would obediently stand with him against two Yonko crews.
But Vergo cooperating with Katakuri and Jack was even more impossible. Attacking both sides at once was the most predictable move.
Later he could easily brush it off as misidentification or tactical necessity.
After all, Akainu wouldn't hesitate to strike down his own men if it meant defeating an enemy.
Vergo "accidentally" firing on Sherwin—an unofficial Warlord—during a battle against Yonko pirates certainly wouldn't raise any eyebrows.
And with the Yonko already targeting him, whether Sherwin would even survive long enough to hold Vergo accountable was another matter entirely.
So once the Marine formation was set, Vergo didn't hesitate to give the order to open fire.
His goal wasn't to kill Sherwin—after all, Nico Robin was still aboard the Dodo Advance.
Vergu plan was to slow Sherwin group down, forcing Sherwin to stop and turn back to take the lead in the fight.
Unfortunately, things didn't develop the way Vergu had hoped.
Before the astonished eyes of the Marines at the G-5 base—and the pirates from the Four Emperor crews chasing from behind—the childlike Dodo Advance suddenly began to transform.
While transforming, the Dodo Advance also started diving underwater. In just a short moment, it left a trail of bubbles on the surface and vanished from everyone sight.
But the Marine cannon shells didn't have any tracking capability, so they continued roaring across the sea, crashing straight into the two Four Emperor pirate crews that had previously been following behind the Dodo Advance.