On the deck of the escaped Okama Army warship, the crew was busy with their tasks.
Some were polishing weapons.
Some were sorting rope.
Others were carrying supplies.
Suddenly, the lookout on the watchtower screamed at the top of his lungs: "Ships approaching ahead! Two ships! Two ships!"
His shout instantly shattered the previously orderly, busy atmosphere on the ship.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction the lookout pointed.
There were indeed two ships.
And one of them was a Marine warship.
The mood on the ship immediately grew tense and heavy.
All of them had been prisoners locked in Impel Down for years, and they had only enjoyed a few days of freedom after escaping.
If they were captured and thrown back into that endless abyss, their lives would truly be over.
After a moment of stunned silence, the sailor in charge of the alarm snapped back to his senses.
He scrambled toward the alarm lever and yanked it down with all his strength.
A sharp, piercing siren rang throughout the entire ship.
Inazuma and Ivankov, who were resting below deck, were startled awake by the sudden alarm and rushed out.
On the horizon, the outlines of the two ships became clearer.
The one in front flew a flag with a seagull spreading its wings.
It radiated an oppressive aura.
Its entire hull gleamed with a cold, metallic hardness, the white ship body and towering masts embodying the full authority of the Marines.
The cannons were lined up neatly, their dark muzzles silently announcing overwhelming firepower.
It was a ship of the world's greatest maritime force—the Marines.
The other ship, however, looked almost comical by comparison.
It was a brightly colored, strangely shaped flamingo ship.
The flamingo figurehead was so lifelike it left people stunned.
The ship's prow was sharp like a hook, the feather patterns on the hull were detailed and intricate, and most eye-catching of all was the pair of exaggerated red sunglasses resting on its face.
Under the sunlight, those sunglasses reflected a dazzling light, carrying a playful yet dangerously unpredictable aura.
The burly man in fishnet stockings stared at the ship ahead, his voice trembling with excitement.
"That ship… it looks exactly like the one of my dreams!"
"So cute! Wait, that's not a Navy ship, right?"
"Definitely not. Maybe it's a merchant ship? A display ship? Or some great nation's princess's private ship, which is why the Navy is escorting it?"
An elderly bunny-girl raised her hand and tried to calm the crowd.
"Everyone, don't panic! This definitely isn't the Navy coming to arrest us. We just need to stay calm."
But beside her, the pirate Yujin — who had just been promoted to a three-hundred-million bounty — looked like he had seen a nightmare.
That bizarre-looking ship was not some noble lady's luxury ship.
It was the ship belonging to the man known as the Heavenly Yaksha — one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the King of Dressrosa — Donquixote Doflamingo.
On the Navy warship ahead, Vice Admiral Strawberry, twin blades at his waist, stood tall on the deck.
His sharp eyes locked onto the warship drifting off course.
His brows tightened ever so slightly.
By Navy protocol, when two Marine warships meet in the open sea, they always exchange greetings and share mission and route information.
But this ship's behavior was far too strange.
Suspicion deepened in Strawberry's mind.
He ordered his men to activate the loudspeaker, attempting to contact the mysterious ship and figure out what was happening.
His voice echoed across the sea.
"The ship ahead, identify your division."
The tension in the air grew heavier.
The moment the people on the Okama ship heard the broadcast, they all froze.
Their already pale faces turned ghostly white.
Panic exploded.
They screamed for Ivankov, fear and helplessness filling every voice.
"Ivankov-sama! W-What do we do!?"
Ivankov's eyes rolled sharply.
Then he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted back with his trademark booming voice.
"We are… the Okama Division!"
The entire ship fell silent.
Every Okama felt as though the sky had collapsed.
There was no way the Navy had such a ridiculous division.
But regardless of what Ivankov said — or how absurd the answer was — Vice Admiral Strawberry was going to confirm the identification of the missing Impel Down warship.
A confrontation was inevitable.
Strawberry strode quickly into the command room and pulled open a drawer.
Inside was a compact Den-Den Mushi.
It looked like a snail, but its antennae twitched like human ears, its round eyes alert and watchful.
When he picked it up, the antennae shivered as though awaiting orders.
Strawberry dialed the higher-ups with practiced ease.
The Den-Den Mushi's mouth began to mimic the voice of whomever answered the call, buzzing for a moment before a clear human voice came through.
Strawberry gave a concise report on the strange encounter and asked whether any Navy ships had recently gone missing.
As the response came through, Strawberry's face grew increasingly dark.
All signs pointed to one conclusion.
The strange warship ahead was very likely one of the recently stolen ships.
"Everyone, hear me! Full speed ahead! Close in on that suspicious ship!"
His command was absolute.
The Marine sailors rushed into action, adjusting the sails and driving the engines harder.
The warship shot forward like an arrow.
Meanwhile, on the Okama ship, the people who had been trying to act calm suddenly leapt into the air in terror as the Navy ship accelerated toward them.
Ivankov panicked as well.
He yelled at his crew to set sail immediately while running back and forth across the deck, shouting orders at everyone.
The sails were hauled up at once.
The wind filled the canvas with a loud snap.
The ship surged forward, fleeing at full speed.
Strawberry slapped his thigh.
"Damn it! It's the escapees from Impel Down! Chase them! Fire the cannons! Fire!"
The naval ship's cannons blazed, each shell screaming through the air straight toward the Okama ship!
The helmsman on the Okama ship gripped the wheel tightly, her face pale, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead.
To dodge the shells, she maneuvered the ship with all her strength, swaying left and right.
At times, she was thrown against the left side, slamming into the rail.
Then she was thrown to the right, barely keeping her balance.
The shells flew dangerously close, the sharp whistling deafening, and the ship rocked violently as the blasts' shockwaves hit it.
Just when everyone thought they had momentarily escaped, a shell, wrapped in thick smoke, hurtled toward the center of the Okama ship at incredible speed.
It was about to hit!
Inazuma's eyes narrowed sharply.
She pushed off the deck with all her strength, leaping high, her arms transforming into gleaming scissor-like blades.
At the last second, she sliced the shell perfectly in two.
The pieces lost their trajectory and fell into the sea, exploding instantly and sending towering waves into the air.
The shock rocked the Okama ship violently again.
Everyone on board clutched the rails, afraid of being thrown overboard.
Ivankov watched the pursuing naval ship, brow furrowed, anxiety written all over his face.
"This won't work. We need to find a way to shake them off!" he shouted.
The helmsman yelled back, "No, we can't! Our ship uses windless propulsion! It's nowhere near as fast as a conventional ship powered by wind!"
Ivankov's mind raced in the tense moment.
Suddenly, an idea struck.
His nails instantly grew long.
He shouted, "Amburio Facial Growth Hormone!"
He injected the special growth hormone into his face.
In an instant, his face began to grow at a visibly astonishing rate, quickly swelling into a mountain-sized head.
He laid the massive head onto the Okama ship's deck.
Everyone understood immediately and sprang into action.
One by one, the Okama crew held hands, forming a strong human chain.
One end gripped Ivankov tightly, the other anchored to the ship, keeping everyone securely connected.
Ivankov took a deep breath, flapped his huge eyes rapidly, and yelled, "Galactic WINK!"
With that roar, a powerful invisible force burst from his eyes.
The force hit the Okama ship instantly.
The entire ship seemed shoved by an enormous invisible hand, shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow.
The Okama ship carved a long arc across the sea, spraying massive waves.
The pursuing naval ship quickly fell far behind.
The human chain swayed violently with the ship, looking like a long, colorful rope in the wind, a comical yet pitiful sight.
Tears and snot flew everywhere from the crew, adding to the ridiculousness.
Vice Admiral Strawberry, holding a telescope, stomped furiously.
"Chase them! Don't let them escape!"
****
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