"The Nine Dragons is too conspicuous. I need to move quietly now."
Whiteflame said coolly.
"Stealth operations?"
Monet raised an eyebrow, surprised.
To her, Whiteflame had always been the type to crush any resistance head-on.
He never cared for hiding or sneaking around.
"Is it because of the Navy's expedition?"
Nico Robin asked.
She hadn't been with Whiteflame for long, but even she knew—
Whiteflame wouldn't make such an unusual move without reason.
Abandoning the Nine Dragons, switching to a modified Ark Maxim…
Clearly, something serious was on his mind.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Whiteflame didn't elaborate.
The Ark Maxim, now transformed, gently descended from the clouds and landed on the sea.
No longer the strange contraption Enel once flew,
the ship now looked like any other ordinary sailing vessel—
except it still retained the lightning-powered flight system Enel had created.
And with Whiteflame's enhancements,
it now housed an even greater electrical control system.
As long as he was aboard, the ship could go anywhere in the world.
"Forget all that! We've got new identities, no one's watching us—let's go shopping till we drop!"
Baby-5 beamed, already making plans for a spree.
"Yeah! I haven't gone shopping in ages. Skypiea didn't have much to begin with."
Rebecca added excitedly.
On Skypiea, even rubber was rare. Everything was made of shell materials.
"Let the Great Shopping Tour begin!"
Nami cheered, already imagining the haul.
And just like that, Whiteflame and his group quietly left Skypiea, heading toward Sabaody Archipelago.
Half a Month Later — Jaya Island
"Oh my god! Are my eyes deceiving me? That's a whole fleet—dozens of warships! Are they going to level the island?!"
"Damn it! What's going on? Where's the intelligence guy?! I'm gonna shoot him myself!"
"Idiot! Run for your life! That's the Navy's expedition force—they've already crushed several pirates with over 100 million bounty! We're dead meat if they see us!"
Panic swept through the pirates on Jaya Island as they saw the massive Navy fleet arrive.
But before they could even set sail—
CRACK!
The entire shoreline froze solid.
All fleeing pirates and ships were instantly trapped in a glacier.
A radius of several hundred meters turned into a frozen hellscape.
"Whew…"
Aokiji exhaled a frosty breath, his body covered in icy mist.
"Two weeks of sailing, and we've finally arrived…"
He looked up at the sky.
"That guy vanished somewhere up there, huh… Let's hope this trip wasn't for nothing."
Sengoku's Master Plan!
"Send Commodore Kando to scout. Tell him not to reveal himself under any circumstances.
If he finds anything—anything related to Whiteflame—he must report back immediately."
Sengoku's orders were swift and decisive.
Soon, a red-feathered bird soared into the sky—
it was Kando, transforming with his Devil Fruit power to begin reconnaissance.
"Heeheehee… Fleet Admiral Sengoku, this is your Navy's idea of 'efficiency'?
You don't even know where your target is, yet you drag an entire army across the ocean?
If Whiteflame's not up there, this whole expedition's just a joke!"
The mocking voice came from the hulking form of Gecko Moria,
one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, with devilish horns and a gothic outfit.
"You've wasted half a month of my time.
If this ends in nothing, I won't forgive you."
Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress, flicked her hair, clearly displeased.
"A man of such power… being able to see him at all is already rare."
Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea, offered no complaint.
Mihawk rested silently with eyes closed.
Bartholomew Kuma quietly read a book, unfazed.
"Patience,"
Sengoku said calmly,
his gaze sharp, eyes gleaming with strategic insight.
Half a month ago, Sengoku had been losing sleep over this expedition.
Now, however, he was calm—
as if everything had fallen into place.
After several hours of waiting, Commodore Kando returned.
"Well?"
Sengoku stepped forward at once.
Kando shook his head.
The Seven Warlords frowned.
They had been dragged here by the Navy, hoping to witness the infamous Whiteflame firsthand.
Now it seemed they wouldn't even catch a glimpse of him.
"Whiteflame left Skypiea half a month ago,"
Kando reported.
"Up there, he's been hailed as a god, after killing the previous 'god,' Enel.
Skypiea is at peace now."
"God?"
Moria sneered.
"A backwater sky island worshipping some punk? How pathetic."
Hancock scoffed as well, unimpressed.
"The Skypieans aren't weak.
I saw with my own eyes how Whiteflame obliterated a massive section of the cloud sea.
His power is… terrifying."
Kando's expression grew wary.
"Details later. Do you know which direction he left?"
Sengoku asked.
"The far east."
"Understood. You may go."
"Heeheehee… so that's your fearsome Whiteflame?
I heard the Navy's expedition scared him so bad he ran away.
And you called us all out here for that?
You've really outdone yourself, Sengoku!"
Moria grinned mockingly.
"Enough talk!"
"All forces—begin the attack!"
"Kuzan! Sakazuki!
Use your strongest powers—I want something the world will remember!"
"Pass this command—every warship opens fire on the ocean!
No one stops unless I say so!"
Sengoku barked the order.
"Huh?"
Everyone in the command room looked stunned.
Only Vice Admiral Tsuru seemed to understand.
"Fleet Admiral, what's going on?"
Aokiji asked.
"A soldier's duty is to follow orders, Kuzan.
Just do it."
Sakazuki stood up without hesitation.
As he left the room, he shot a cold glare at the Warlords.
"You pirates should be grateful the Navy's even tolerating you.
Don't think everything has to go your way."
"There's no shortage of pirates wanting to be Warlords."
And with that, Akainu departed.
"Any other complaints?"
Sengoku glanced at the Warlords.
"Hmph. I'm sick of that smug Navy attitude."
Moria muttered, but said nothing more.
The Warlords left the room and headed for the ship decks.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
The command was relayed.
Every warship opened fire on the sea below.
Thunderous cannon blasts shook the entire region.
Explosions echoed like war drums.
On Jaya, civilians were stunned—
"God! So many warships firing at once?! Is that monster here already?!"
"I'd give anything to see the kind of man who can make the Navy this nervous…"
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