He Is a True Pirate!

On the other side of the Red Line, at the starting point of the first half of the Grand Line.

A large number of naval warships have gathered in the waters near several shipping routes.

These warships cruised between the Twin Cape and the seven starting islands... Although it is the entrance to the Grand Line, it appears on the map as a very 'long and narrow' sea area.

However, the actual sea area is quite large, and even the navy cannot completely fill the blank area with all the assembled forces. After all, in the vast ocean, individual warships are like sesame seeds.

Even with a large enough number of items, it is difficult to achieve 'holistic' coverage.

In addition to considering the God Slayer's abilities and previous failed attempts to capture him, the Navy decided to deploy in this manner, rather than sending a full-scale attack to block Reverse Mountain.

With their forces concentrated too much, it would be difficult for them to react quickly enough if the God Slayer escaped.

The best way is to guard the entrances to the seven shipping routes. The environment of the Grand Line is extremely special. Without the guidance of a logbook, it is easy to get lost on the sea if you do not follow the route.

While this wouldn't pose a significant challenge to the Hell Pirates, if they wanted to reach the Sabaody Archipelago and the New World, the safest approach would be to stick to the original route, saving them more time. Otherwise, lingering too long in the first half of the Grand Line would easily attract the attention of the Navy, leading to a protracted and drawn-out conflict.

It all looks bad for the Hell Pirates.

The commander-in-chief of this battle was nominally Marshal Sengoku, but the real leader was Chief of Staff Tsuru.

At this moment, the scene on every naval warship was incredibly busy.

A large number of soldiers were running back and forth on the deck, some making pre-battle preparations, and others constantly contacting government agencies to maintain communication.

In the control room of a warship, three pillars of the navy's older generation—Marshal Sengoku, Vice Admiral Garp, and Chief of Staff Tsuru—were gathered. The warship they were currently aboard belonged to the unit at the very center of the entire "Boundless Battlefield," which, according to the map, was directly opposite the exit of "Reverse Mountain."

Three admirals, Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji, also arrived, each stationed near one of the seven starting islands of the shipping routes, responsible for an 'equal amount of battlefield area'. In addition, there were a large number of vice admirals from the Marine Headquarters, including admiral candidates Momousagi and Chaton.

Several of the Seven Warlords of the Sea have also arrived.

The Navy's deployment of such forces is practically an all-out war. Even if they were to fight Yonko now, they'd probably only reach this level, with the only difference being a significant shortage of rank-and-file combat personnel. Currently, the Navy has nearly 30,000 soldiers, while according to the available information, the Hell Pirates only have less than 1,000 members... By any measure, victory seems assured.

The reason they are so prepared, which is a bit of an overreaction, is because they are dealing with more than just the Hell Pirates.

Such a large-scale mobilization... it's because Tsuru... predicted Oboro's 'plan'! "You guessed it!"

Inside the room, Sengoku hung up the contact with Aokiji, looked at Tsuru who was staring at the sea chart, and said in a deep voice.

Kaido of the Yonko, personally took to the field.

The Beasts Pirates' fleet has arrived... near the second shipping route.

"Wow, that's really fast..."

The crane remained remarkably calm.

"They're all so restless... Hahaha, it's been a long time since the sea has been this lively!"

Garp, standing to the side, laughed heartily, oblivious to everything else.

"You still have the nerve to laugh?!"

Upon seeing Sengoku, Sengoku's face immediately darkened. "A few hours ago, news came from above that there were signs of the Revolutionary Army activity... Your good son!"

Garp remained unmoved and picked his nose.

"..."

Sengoku.

"Shanks and Whitebeard have confirmed their presence in the New World, making their stance clear... they won't get involved. But Big Mom's people are probably arriving soon. These One Piece are incredibly quick. The God Slayer didn't rush over immediately is to let these troublemakers get involved. I originally thought that after the East Blue Incident, failing to recruit God Slayer had made the two Yonko understand God Slayer attitude—he just wants to fight alone. So even if he enters the Grand Line this time... they'll just sit back and watch. There's no need to try and win him over. If they do make a move, they'll wait until God Slayer arrives in the New World. If he fails and we catch him, it means God Slayer's worth isn't all that great... any hype is temporary and will eventually fade away."

Two of the Yonko, the Revolutionary Army... and many other underground forces lurking in the Grand Line, all of these people... have arrived.

The Yonko and the Revolutionary Army are singled out because these three are the most troublesome.

"However, this revelation of his abilities has made Kaido and Charlotte Linlin extremely uneasy... At least on the surface, whoever obtains 'God Slayer' will undoubtedly have the capital to turn the tide, and the balance of power among the Yonko will be disrupted. This is fatally attractive to people like Kaido and Charlotte Linlin..."

"The same applies to other maritime giants."

"We both know Whitebeard's personality, but Shanks is the most unique of the four."

"Back in the East Blue, Shanks did appear, but not for the God Slayer..."

"So, based on everything the Hell Pirates did in the North Blue before this, especially regarding the 'divine power' matter, I guessed... he would do this."

He crossed his arms and said calmly.

"Using oneself as bait... to attract more big fish."

Tsuru glanced at Garp, "But the appearance of the Revolutionary Army was something I didn't expect."

Hahahaha!!!

Garp scratched his head, pretending not to understand.

"Kaido and Big Mom are rushing here... with very limited manpower. We can hold them off while we launch a pincer attack on the Hell Pirates." Sengoku thought for a moment, then stepped forward and pointed to several marks on the sea chart, saying, "They won't dare to go too deep either. They'll probably act according to the situation. Because they don't have enough manpower, if they go too far into the enemy's territory, they might even be in danger themselves... Although the God Slayer is of great value to them, it's not to the point where they can risk their lives."

"As long as we capture Long, these two will definitely make a quick escape."

"As for the remaining forces... I think..."

Before Sengoku could finish speaking, he noticed that his old friend's expression was a little off, so he stopped talking.

"You're right... to arrive in such a short time, Kaido and Big Mom must have been extremely rushed and unprepared, no matter what method they used." Tsuru stroked her chin, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly said, "But have you ever considered that all of this was intentionally God Slayer?"

"What's the meaning?"

Sengoku understood the unspoken meaning in her words.

"As I said, this person is extremely shrewd... Unlike Roger's seemingly foolish wisdom, he simply possesses extraordinary intelligence. His experience in North Blue also shows that he is good at strategizing... Now it seems that he is intentionally drawing all forces together to muddy the waters and make it easier for him to break through our layers of blockade."

"But after the Sabaody Incident, the general consensus was that God Slayer would join the Yonko, as that was his only way out. But he didn't do that. And then there East Blue Incident... His attitude was very clear: no matter how difficult the situation, he would not ally with the Yonko... In fact, the creation of the Hell Pirates is clearly the posture of a challenger."

"Kaido and Charlotte Linlin will definitely make a move, and making a move means there will be losses... He wants to use us to weaken the foundations of the two Yonko and open up a 'situation' for his own challenge. This will harm us and all forces that covet him. But right now, everyone's attention is focused on his abilities, and everyone thinks that he released the news to get the 'outsiders' to help him escape. In fact, his real purpose is to make us 'fight each other'... It's impossible to fight a great battle like this without losing strength."

He began to recount the story in detail.

"What you're saying is certainly possible... but... it doesn't quite make logical sense."

"If that's his motive..."

Upon hearing Sengoku, Sengoku was startled. "Does the Hell Pirates really think they can escape unscathed? They'll definitely suffer casualties... and the danger they'll face will be the greatest."

"They can't get away... The God Slayer finally managed to build up this team in the North Blue, and we might wipe them all out, and even he himself won't be able to escape."

"What if... all those One Piece he seems to be tirelessly recruiting in the North Blue are just an illusion? What if he deliberately created a resume of himself as One Piece just to deceive outsiders..."

"He just wanted these people to die to achieve his goals... Or rather, from the very beginning, deep down, these One Piece were never part of the Hell Pirates. The Hell Pirates he wanted wasn't like this... These people were just sacrifices prepared from the start. Do you think that makes sense?"

"Because entering the Grand Line this time, facing us is a dead end! I thought he would show a stronger 'power' and recruit more people... instead of just a few hundred. Even if he is confident that he can escape from us, it's just himself... As the captain of a One Piece crew, if he really cares about his crewmates, or considers them as part of the ship, would he let them sacrifice in vain? He did this for only two reasons."

"First, he is an absolutely cold-blooded, ruthless, selfish brat... He has no humanity whatsoever; he just sends his men to their deaths to create an opportunity for himself to escape."

"Or maybe... these people were abandoned by him long ago, and they're just ingredients to make this great battle more intense for all sides."

Seeing that Sengoku's expression was becoming complicated, He Youyou said, "Of course, these are just my guesses and judgments... and may not be true."

"If that's the case, then... it's definitely not the first one."

"If this brat were selfish enough... the Cunning Fox's always by his side, who's now the Night Wanderer of the Hell Pirates, would be long gone. So, I'm sure... he's not selfish, he just has to make way for his plans for some unimportant people."

"Although he was different from Roger, he... was a truly ambitious and ruthless leader."

"They are real... One Piece."

The crane made its conclusion.

These words silenced Garp, who was standing to the side.