Half an hour later...
All the Marines were captured, including Prince Gruss.
Sanji and Gin had been outmatched at first, but when Zoro jumped in, a special buff kicked in.
'The Bond of Swirly Brow and Moss Head'
Their attack, speed, and defense all shot up by 30%!
Gruss became their punching bag, eventually taken down by a combo of Sanji's "Party Table Kick Course" and Zoro's "Oni Giri."
…
So now, a thousand Marines, plus Smoker, Tashigi, and Gruss, were all trapped in the pit Buggy had made, with that giant chunk of land hanging over them like a guillotine.
The pressure was intense.
Hina was tied up separately and lying at the Straw Hats' feet – Nami called it "Plan B."
Even though they'd won, the smart ones in the crew knew something was off.
It was only 10:00 AM.
Would the Marines really just let Roger's statue stand here all day? No way.
Sengoku wasn't that dumb.
They definitely had a backup plan.
Ray had figured this out last night.
…
Ten hours earlier...
Buggy, Luffy, and Ray were having a secret meeting under the tree.
"Look," Ray said seriously, "we can fight this battle, but we shouldn't get obsessed with defending the statue. Just make enough noise to get the point across."
Luffy immediately disagreed. "No way! I want it to stay up for the whole day!"
Buggy, being older and (slightly) wiser, understood.
"Luffy," he said gently, "even if your brother wants the statue to stand for a day, it's really impossible."
Hearing Buggy agree with Ray made Luffy even angrier.
"Buggy! Are you ditching our promise?! We agreed to protect it together!"
Seeing Luffy so fired up made Buggy feel proud.
'He really is Captain Roger's son.' But he took a deep breath and explained.
"Ray's right. The Marines will never let that statue stand for a day. If we keep fighting, we'll all get wiped out. As long as we beat their first attack, we'll have enough ammo to smear the World Government and give Captain Roger some justice. But they definitely have backup. Sticking around is suicide. We don't need to sacrifice everyone, especially you, Luffy. You've got a huge future. Once you're Pirate King, you can do anything!"
Luffy just looked confused, only half understanding.
Ray sighed and broke it down Barney-style: If the Marines send a second wave, even Ray and Buggy together probably couldn't win.
They'd all die.
Sacrificing lives for a statue wasn't worth it.
Achieve the main goal, then get out.
After hearing the blunt consequences, Luffy finally nodded seriously.
"Okay. I get it. Nakama are more important. So, we just have to protect the statue during the first attack tomorrow, right?"
Ray nodded and Buggy laughed.
Finally, Ray called Buggy over to the back mountain.
Luffy just saw some blue lightning flash in the sky (probably Ray's Azure Dragon Break), but strangely, it didn't seem to damage anything.
…
Back to the present.
Ray's injuries were mostly healed, and his Demonic Power was slowly coming back.
His insane recovery speed made Buggy click his tongue in amazement.
"Ray, you're too mysterious," Buggy exclaimed. "The more I learn about you, the scarier you seem. Good thing we're not enemies right now."
Seeing Ray didn't respond, he added, "I suddenly feel like you could actually handle the next wave."
Ray just glanced at him coldly.
"If we really fight that guy, maybe I could escape. But all of you would be left behind."
Buggy frowned. "What do you mean? He's already here? Who is it?"
Ray didn't answer directly.
"He's here."
"Run?"
"If we run, we'll die faster."
"Sounds like this newcomer is serious trouble..."
…
Fifteen kilometers out at sea.
A Marine warship with a dog figurehead was approaching Loguetown.
On the bow, Gion had changed clothes, but now she was covered in bandages.
Standing next to her was a robust old man.
"Garp-chan," Gion said with a smile, "how are you planning to deal with these pirates? Your grandson seems pretty determined to protect Roger's statue."
The 'Marine Hero' Garp just stood tall and laughed heartily.
"BWAHAHAHA! That's my grandson for you! And his crewmates are pretty good too!"
Gion's face twitched. "Beating me up like this is indeed 'pretty good'."
Garp completely missed the sarcasm. "Gion, I told you! Relying purely on speed isn't enough! You gotta train your strength! If you had muscles like mine, you would've brought that Ray kid back long ago!"
Hearing that, Gion instantly got agitated.
"You witnessed the whole battle?! You were nearby the whole time?! And you just watched me get beaten up?! Forget it, we're done!"
Even Garp, dense as he was, realized he'd messed up.
"I didn't! I don't know anything! Don't talk nonsense, young lady!" he quickly denied.
Gion just rolled her eyes.
She knew he was protecting his grandson, but she let it slide.
They were actually pretty good friends.
Garp didn't push it.
He gazed at the distant coastline, his old eyes sparkling with energy.
"So, Luffy, Ray, Buggy... how are you gonna escape from my grasp? Bwahahaha!"
…
West Coast of Loguetown.
Ray, Buggy, and the Straw Hats watched the approaching warship with grave expressions.
When Buggy saw the dog figurehead, his heart started racing.
He recognized it instantly.
It belonged to the man who had chased his captain all over the world.
The legendary Marine hero, Vice Admiral Garp.
Seeing him arrive, Buggy took a deep breath and turned to Ray.
"Ray... I think we're in deep trouble today. I have this feeling my head might not stay attached for much longer."
Unlike Buggy, Ray was remarkably calm.
He'd guessed right.
The newcomer was way too strong for any of them to handle head-on.
But... Garp's relationship with Luffy was... complicated.
Plus, there was someone else on this island whose connection to Luffy was also pretty unique.
Thinking about the potential chaos that was about to unfold, Ray's lips twitched slightly.
He looked over at Luffy with a hint of pity.
-----------------------------
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