The Five Skies, though insulted, swallowed their pride and joined the assault. Even the hot-headed Runti clenched her fists and kept quiet for once.
The eight-on-five battle was chaos. Blades clashed, auras exploded, and the air itself trembled from their fury. Yet despite being outnumbered, the five from the Red-Haired Pirates fought with perfect coordination. Their opponents—the Impel Down trio and the Five Skies—barely knew each other's rhythms. Runti, Page One, and Black Maria were still injured from their earlier clash, and their teamwork faltered. Eight against five, yet they couldn't gain the upper hand. It was absurd.
Across the battlefield, Yasopp had regrouped with Beckman, only for Jack the Drought to charge in again, joining King and Enel in a three-on-two assault. Lightning split the sky as thunder rolled through the ruins, but Yasopp's foresight Haki and Beckman's calm precision balanced the odds. Enel's recklessness and Jack's brute stupidity gave them openings to counter.
Only Lucky Roux was faring worse. The bloodthirsty Rain Xiru carved through him like a butcher, the duel brutal and one-sided. Unless someone helped him soon, even Roux's massive, resilient body wouldn't save him from being hacked apart.
Souta Kiryuu himself was locked in a fierce struggle against Kaido and Barrett. The two monsters clashed with him in relentless waves of power, but luckily, they refused to cooperate. Their rivalry worked in Souta's favor—if they'd truly joined forces, he wouldn't have stood a chance.
With both the Arlong Pirates and the Beasts Pirates pressing from all sides, the Red-Haired Pirates were being pushed into a corner. G18 Fortress was collapsing under fire. The Marines stationed there were being annihilated, surrounded by Kaido's legion and Arlong's advance unit. Despair spread among them like rot. Many realized they had been abandoned by Marine Headquarters; some even considered surrender.
High above, the colossal red dragon roared again, urging Souta's crew to retreat. Flames crackled across its scales as it swooped low, attacking Arlong's airship fleet. Explosions rocked the sky. The Arlong advance squad had to recall part of their force just to defend their fleet and counterattack the dragon.
Meanwhile, far away, the Navy's main fleet was racing toward G18 from G9 Fortress. The Whitebeard Pirates had also departed from Sphinx Island, though they would likely arrive later than the Navy due to distance.
The battle of G18 had already become the world's new storm. The news king, Morgans, was nearly shaking with excitement. His news-birds reported that both the Marines and Whitebeard's forces were converging on G18. His mind raced at the thought.
"Gahaha! Let it burn! Let them all fight! The world's about to change!"
He laughed wildly, already imagining the chaos that would unfold once those great powers collided. Then he frowned. "And that madman, Souta Kiryuu, is still stuck at Hive Island cleaning up small fry like Wang Zhi? He's missing the real show!"
Grinning, Morgans called Souta directly through a Den Den Mushi. If he could lure that lunatic into the battle too, G18 might rival the scale of the legendary Gods and Demons War.
"The Big Mom Pirates are near G22 Base... if I can trick her into heading there too, this could become the greatest war since history began!" Morgans's eyes gleamed as the Den Den Mushi connected. He poured out all his intelligence in a rush, hoping Souta would take the bait. He had no doubt—Souta Kiryuu wouldn't disappoint him. The man was born for chaos.
Atop the massive skull fortress of Hive Island, Souta stood surveying the aftermath. Wang Zhi's pirates and the island's other crews had been subdued. Souta had been planning to move on G14 Fortress next—rumor had it that several Devil Fruit users were stationed there.
According to reports, the fortress held bizarre abilities: clay giants, moving buildings. Souta suspected that Vice Admiral Tsuru's granddaughter, Peacock, was there—her Whip-Whip Fruit could control structures like living beings. The SWORD unit, too, was said to be stationed there, including their deputy commander, the one who manipulated clay.
That made G14 an ideal target. Capturing Peacock might even shift Marine command decisions, given her ties to Tsuru and Gion. But before he could move, Morgans's urgent call changed everything.
"The Navy's main fleet and Whitebeard's forces are both heading to G18!?" Souta's eyes narrowed. That meant Kaido's army and his own advance division were in serious danger.
"Have you found any trace of the Five Elders? Could one of them be aboard the Navy fleet?" Souta's tone hardened. But Morgans had no intel on that. The uncertainty weighed heavily on Souta's mind. If one of the Elders was truly there, then the situation was dire.
If the Five Elders, Imu, Isaac, Kong, and Sengoku all appeared at once, it would be a massacre. His Arlong Pirates would be crushed instantly.
Regional battles were fine—he could handle those. But a total war? Not yet. Not when even the Red-Haired Pirates, now labeled traitors, were involved. The Whitebeard and Big Mom crews were unpredictable as well. If the world plunged into an all-out conflict, even Souta's forces wouldn't be enough to survive the storm. Not while he still hadn't unraveled the secret powers Imu and Isaac wielded.
He clenched his fists. Without mastering that same mysterious energy, he'd never surpass Imu, that ancient monster.
After hanging up, Souta fell silent, lost in thought.
"Captain, Morgans sounded a little too eager to drag us into this war," Robin murmured softly, stepping behind him. She placed her fingers gently on his temple, easing the tension. "He's not exactly acting in our favor."
"Tell Violet to try locating the Five Elders," Souta said after a pause. "If we make the wrong move and they've set a trap, we'll all die there. Even our air fleet won't be able to save us."
If the worst came to pass, they might need to rely on the Paw-Paw Fruit or the Teleport Fruit just to save part of the crew. He exhaled sharply. "Should've sent the teleportation seraphim with Barrett. Then we could've reinforced them by now."
"Captain," Lafitte spoke up, stepping forward with his usual eerie calm. "Call Barrett and Kaido back. There's no point in joining a war filled with unknowns. G14 offers better rewards anyway. Zephyr's fleet is already en route there—if we crush them, we gain far more."
He smiled thinly. "We'll avoid a meaningless bloodbath and still weaken the Navy. Plenty of Devil Fruit users aboard that fleet. That's profit worth chasing."