As the Hell Pirates' ship drew closer, more and more people could make out Miya, bound in Seastone chains and slumped unconscious over the rail not far behind Rebrus.
Several other Navy officers and ensigns were in the same predicament.
They had most likely crossed paths by chance while at sea. Even though Miya was a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, she'd had little chance to resist the Hell Pirates, and she hadn't even managed to escape...
Doug and the other four Vice Admirals, along with Figo, all stood at the bow of a warship, watching from afar. Doug clenched his fists even tighter, his whole body trembling faintly.
"Xiaoya... Damn you..."
Having activated Doug's Character Event, Figo knew of Doug's hatred for the Hell Pirates. Keeping calm, he observed the enemy ship.
"It's not just Rebrus."
The other four Vice Admirals also shared what they'd noticed. "Most of the Hell Pirates' officers are aboard!"
"Both First Mates are there: the Spear of Hell, Arlong Jackson, with a bounty of 780 million, and the Shield of Hell, Tony Toa, with a bounty of 735 million!"
"The Four Beasts of the Underworld are there too. They're all Great Pirates with bounties over 400 million..."
"And..."
"Did they all come out?"
Anyone capable of becoming a Vice Admiral was no fool. At a glance, they could tell that the news had leaked as soon as the Buster Call had been dispatched. Otherwise, the Hell Pirates wouldn't have brought their entire crew!
As for who had leaked it, they didn't want to dwell on that. They could investigate further if they made it back.
Just exchange prisoners and avoid a fight?
Anyone who trusted pirates wouldn't live long!
The Hell Pirates had come out in full force and made a direct appearance. Would they really rescue only the Blind Witch and then leave?
The answer was obvious: this was a war!
On one side stood an elite Marine force on the level of a Buster Call. On the other was the Hell Pirates, one of the two strongest pirate crews in the New World!
The four Vice Admirals looked at Figo. The ordinary Marine ensigns and officers didn't recognize him, but they did. They knew Figo had once defeated Admiral Raul.
The key to whether they could fight this war, and how they should fight it, was whether Figo had the strength to stand against Rebrus, the Hell of a Man!
"Teacher Doug, stay calm," Figo said. "Let's try exchanging prisoners first."
Doug took a deep breath. "I'm counting on you to keep Xiaoya safe, Figo."
Figo nodded and called out, "Hell Pirates! We agree! Let's exchange prisoners!"
On the other ship, Rebrus tilted his head slightly and asked the bizarre-looking subordinates behind him, "Who's that guy?"
As one of the pinnacles of the pirate world, he knew and had even met every Navy opponent worth mentioning: the Fleet Admiral, the Three Admirals, and the sixteen key Vice Admirals. But Figo was a completely unfamiliar face.
His subordinates looked at one another, none of them recognizing Figo. One speculated, "Those two old Marine Admirals are about to retire. Could he be an Admiral candidate, someone about to be promoted?"
"Who cares who he is? Our boss brought out the whole crew. Unless all Three Admirals show up, no one else matters!" one pirate cackled.
"Boss, are we really going to exchange prisoners?"
Rebrus lightly hooked a finger beneath his oddly shaped gray nose, then grinned. "Jackson, you go. Use that Vice Admiral to bring back the Blind Witch. Don't hurt her. She'll become our third First Mate."
Behind him, a gray-haired man with a face like a knife-cut stone answered in a low voice, "Yes, boss!"
The pirates understood and chuckled. "A First Mate, huh? This Vice Admiral's pretty good-looking. Be gentle with her, yeah? Hahahaha..."
Jackson didn't respond.
Soon, a small boat was lowered from the Hell Pirates' ship. The captured Marines, Miya among them, were put aboard. Jackson set off toward the other side with only two apprentice pirates.
In turn, Figo boarded a lifeboat with Sapphire and rowed out to meet them himself... The moment the Hell Pirates had appeared and proposed an exchange, Figo had quickly put Seastone Handcuffs on Sapphire.
The two boats left their respective ships and gradually drew closer, while countless eyes followed them from both sides. Though Miya, the Flower of the Marines, was already thirty-seven, her appearance had changed little, and she had many admirers. Countless Marines tensed in anger and concern for her.
The captured and uncaptured members of the Revolutionary Army were all kept under close watch to prevent any trouble.
The cannons of ten warships, powerful enough to wipe out an island, were already aimed at the pirate ship across the water. At the first sign of trouble, they would all fire at once!
Rebrus stood at the bow with his arms folded, unconcerned by the cannons. Instead, he kept his eyes on Figo. Then he suddenly said, "That guy feels off to me, Tony. Be ready."
"Seriously, boss? The First Mate might not be able to beat him?"
"Could he really be the next Admiral?"
"I've never seen him before. Where did he come from? Is he an Ability User?"
"He looks like a swordsman..."
Tony Toa, the second First Mate, was a huge man whose height and width were nearly the same. He said, "I feel something's off too, boss. Look at the Blind Witch. She seems like she wouldn't be easy to take down, but I can't see any wounds on her. How did she get captured?"
Rebrus shifted his gaze. One of the fingers of his folded arms twitched, and a faint flame appeared at its tip. Tony Toa immediately stepped closer, understanding the signal. The other pirates fell silent as well.
In the waters between the two sides, the boats were now less than a hundred meters apart. Figo slowed his rowing slightly, calculating the time and distance.
The Hell Pirates' First Mate, the Spear of Hell, Jackson, suddenly called out, "Hey, stranger! Who are you? And you, Blind Witch—we came to rescue you. How come you haven't said a word this whole time?"
Figo didn't answer.
Sapphire said weakly, "He's the Director of Impel Down, Gaston Figo. I don't need you to rescue me. I won't become a pirate."
"Tch." Jackson snorted. "You're captured, and you still think your bounty of over 1.2 billion—higher than the boss's—is real? Director of Impel Down, huh? Gaston Figo..."
He thought for two seconds, then said, "Oh, I've heard of you. Were you the one who caught that Worry Demon, Geld Chuck, a few years ago? The guy wasn't much in a fight, but his ability was a pain and hard to guard against. Not bad, catching him."
His gaze fell on the sword at Figo's waist, and he looked eager for a challenge. "Are you a swordsman? What a coincidence. So am I. I love fighting swordsmen. How about a spar?"
As he spoke, the boats drew within fifty meters. Figo glanced over him and asked, "Is that so? Where's your sword?"
As he spoke, the muscles in his crossed legs tensed, ready to spring into action. But Jackson suddenly grinned viciously, grabbed Miya by the neck, and hurled her hard at Figo!
Miya flew like a cannonball. Beneath her disheveled hair, a flash of pain crossed her face.
Figo's eyes darkened, but he stayed seated. Miya slammed into his arms, and he caught her, absorbing the force without budging an inch. Then several startled shouts came from behind him in the distance. "Look out!"
Jackson suddenly appeared behind him, off to one side, moving even faster than the Miya he'd thrown! His right arm transformed into an extremely sharp blade, coated in flowing red Armament Haki. He slashed hard at Figo's back, his sword aura racing alongside the blade!
I am the sword! The sword is me!
Arlong Jackson, First Mate of the Hell Pirates, was a Paramecia Chop-Chop Fruit Ability User and a master of Armament Haki, with an exceptionally high degree of Fruit development. The blades he transformed into were sharper and tougher than any Famous Sword. In battle, he often sliced his enemies in half along with their weapons, making him the Hell Pirates' most powerful attacker!
A metallic clang rang out!
The blade formed from his arm broke through Figo's Armament Haki and muscle, spraying a streak of blood. But Jackson's expression froze. What was this feeling? This sensation?! It was exactly like the boss's!
I can't cut through him? I'm stuck?!
"That really hurts. You broke through my defenses."
Figo set Miya down and stood upright, the blade embedded in his muscles. He even lifted Jackson into a little hop.
At the same time, a soul-shaking power spread outward, like a thunderclap exploding in everyone's mind across the sea!
The two apprentice pirates who had rowed Jackson over rolled their eyes and toppled backward!
The Marines' shocked expressions froze. Doug and the other Vice Admirals stared in disbelief!
The pirates' excitement faded, and even Rebrus looked somewhat incredulous!
"Conqueror's Haki?!"
How could that be?!
Wasn't he a Marine?!
At such close range, Jackson's mind went blank for a moment. Then, as his Observation Haki screamed a warning, he snapped back to his senses!
Figo stood over him, fists clasped together, gold Armament Haki flowing across them. He brought them crashing down toward Jackson's head. The rush of air made it nearly impossible for Jackson to keep his eyes open!
Coming at me head-on? Don't underestimate me, bastard! Let's see who gets hurt worse!
He gritted his teeth and rapidly changed the shape of his head, turning it into a conical point like Chinjao's. Its sharp tip gleamed like metal, and flowing Armament Haki coated it as he thrust it toward Figo's fists!
Boom!
Figo didn't hold back. His fists struck the metallic point head-on, and the small boat beneath them exploded instantly!
Jackson's metal cone was forced back into its original shape in an instant! His head, flesh and blood again, was like jelly. His features shifted out of place, his skin and flesh quivered, and blood poured from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Spit and teeth flew everywhere as he tumbled into the sea, eyes rolling back.
Figo grabbed Miya with one hand and Sapphire with the other, leapt onto the small boat the waves had swept toward the pirates, punched through the spray, and raced back toward the Marine fleet atop the towering waves with the Marines.
Drip. Drip.
Blood dripped from Figo's fists.
Figo glanced at them.
No wonder he had a bounty of over 700 million.
The second hit broke through his defenses too.
Before you continue