Eve of the Summit War

To outsiders, apart from the change in appearance, Douglas Bare seemed no different from before... at least not in terms of his demeanor.

But when faced with this man's gaze, apart from a few who could remain calm, such as Dom and Rob Lucci, they all felt a chill run down their spines.

It felt as if something about me had been seen through.

Congratulations!

Crocodile snorted.

Bare smiled, turned and left, heading to his quarters on the ship to change his clothes.

From this moment on, he became even more convinced of his beliefs.

The only one in this One Piece crew who could still pique his interest was Oboro.

Actually, Bare didn't feel much about Impel Down. Roger was dead... the man he always wanted to challenge was gone. Whether he was free or not didn't matter, because it was all the same wherever he was. If he hadn't joined the Hell Pirates to find proof that he was still 'alive,' he wanted to do something 'big,' seeking excitement and challenge... otherwise, his world would have lost its meaning. But now, everything had changed... He discovered that he seemed to know some of Oboro's secrets.

Oboro is very strong.

Incomprehensible power.

But his world became more interesting because of this... In some ways, Oboro was more able to arouse his 'desire' than Roger.

Yonko -level combat power.

He glanced at Bare's retreating figure with a satisfied expression.

Originally, in his eyes, Bare's strength was only at the level of an admiral, capable of going up against Yonko, but definitely no match for Yonko. Now, with the added strength of his physical body, his physical skills and Haki will be comprehensively upgraded, including his Devil Fruit ability.

There's also Muzan's Blood Demon Art in his 'flesh form'.

Bare's current body has reached the same level as Big Mom's 'steel balloon' and Kaido's 'immortality'.

It also involves abnormal physical strength.

But whether they can defeat the Yonko is hard to say.

In battles and fights, unless there is an absolute difference in strength, the winner and loser must rely on their own abilities.

At the very least, Bare is now absolutely capable of challenging any of the Yonko.

"Alright, you should all go and rest now."

After the meeting, Shiryu and his two companions had received the divine blessing. They were still some distance from Marineford and would need some time to arrive. Before that, Oboro planned to 'modify' all the One Piece on the ship.

Of course, all these hundreds of One Piece could get were skill cards and experience cards.

And the few remaining item cards in his system inventory, which are basically some weapons.

As for Bloodline Card, Oboro doesn't have many left...

The members left one after another, leaving only Dom at the scene.

Then, Oboro had Dom organize a gathering of all the One Piece, and began to perform a miracle again with a sense of 'ritual', giving each of them new power.

This also made the atmosphere on the ship hot and exciting.

Meanwhile, at Marineford, the naval headquarters.

A massive naval force has been deployed, awaiting the arrival of the Whitebeard Pirates.

On the island, each Vice Admiral from Marine Headquarters was responsible for a specific area, constantly directing their subordinates to form defensive lines as required. They were determined to stop the Whitebeard Pirates should they arrive. Hō, Onigumo, Doberman, Strawberry ... familiar faces were everywhere, all pillars of the current Marine Government. Any one of them possessed a distinguished record of military exploits and renown. At least in the first half of the Grand Line, they were feared by One Piece.

Even the seemingly weakest among them, Vice Admiral Strawberry, was once a strongman who could fight against the Sun Pirates, the 'legendary' Fisher Tiger, and Jinbe.

Among those who stood out on the scene were the Giants, led by Lonz and Lacroix.

Of course, the focus is on the Seven Warlords of the Sea and the three Marine Admirals.

On the execution platform, Marshal Sengoku is negotiating with his subordinates.

"Are you sure you can ensure signal transmission?"

"No problem, once it starts, the whole world will be watching the live stream."

"Um."

"Any activity in the open sea?"

"No, I just contacted the person in charge of surveillance, and they haven't seen any sign of One Piece ships."

Sengoku nodded.

His expression was very solemn.

He knew his old rival Whitebeard all too well. Since Edward Newgate had declared he would definitely come to rescue Ace, then... a great battle was inevitable. Although he didn't know how the Whitebeard Pirates would arrive, all the Navy and the World Government could do was to do everything possible to prevent Whitebeard from interfering.

But what made him uneasy was not just the Whitebeard Pirates.

There was also an unexpected situation.

The Hell Pirates! Just a few hours ago, they received news that the Hell Pirates had breached the seemingly impregnable Deep Sea Impel Down and released a large number of prisoners.

There must have been some troublesome individuals among them who joined this heinous gang.

Therefore, no matter what, their navy must win this great war.

Otherwise, once news of Impel Down's fall spreads, and they lose this battle as well, the World Government's prestige will be completely destroyed, making them a laughingstock of the entire world. Moreover, the rising tide of One Piece at sea won't be extinguished; it will only excite One Piece further, with unimaginable consequences.

Sengoku took a deep breath. Impel Down ... that God Slayer actually managed to breach the Deep Sea Impel Down! This was even more unbelievable than Golden Lion Shiki's successful escape! "Are you sure the Hell Pirates have left Impel Down?"

The Sengoku asked about this.

"Our people are on their way... We've lost contact with the interior of Impel Down. Vice Admiral Tsuru just analyzed that it's very likely... the forces guarding Impel Down have all been wiped out," his subordinate reported in a low voice. "And the Straw Hat Pirates..."

The latter also wanted to mention Luffy.

But Sengoku's mind was clearly not on Luffy.

"Contact the World Government and have them send people to find the Hell Pirates... make sure the God Slayer aren't heading towards Marineford."

"This is what the Sengoku instructed."

"Yes."

The subordinate saluted and ran away quickly.

That's right, what Sengoku was worried about was... the Hell Pirates appearing on the battlefield.

Impel Down isn't far from here, and given the God Slayer's incredible abilities... getting to Marineford shouldn't be difficult.

The Whitebeard Pirates alone have already put the entire Navy on high alert, making them pull out all the stops. If we add the Hell Pirates to the mix... although the latter is not Yonko- level force, in some ways, their danger is no less than that of the Yonko.

Impel Down... is a perfect example.

However, the Navy is currently stretched thin and simply doesn't have the extra manpower or energy to keep an eye on a Hell Pirates.

We can only pin our hopes on the special agents trained by the government.

A cool breeze swept by, and Sengoku stood on high ground, gazing at the horizon where the sea met the horizon.

Even looking at his entire naval career.

Today... may well become the most challenging moment in his life.

Because this great battle represents a different kind of significance.

Regardless of victory or defeat, it will have a profound impact on the entire world.

The Whitebeard Pirates are the ones in the open...

But the Hell Pirates... are hidden in the unseen and intangible darkness.