Perhaps sensing Momousagi's distrust, Dracule Mihawk's attitude was even colder than Momousagi's.
Mihawk turned around and said, "Boring. I'm going to find a place to rest. If Shanks comes, I'll make my move. If he doesn't, he'll probably just go back on his own. Don't bother looking for me."
"Hey, Hawk Eyes..." Momotaro called out hurriedly, but Mihawk ignored him. Momotaro scratched his head and stomped his feet.
Shiryu's expression remained unchanged, but in his heart, Sig secretly paid attention to the details— Momotaro seemed to be very familiar with Dracule Mihawk... This was probably because Kizaru and Momotaro's positions within the Navy were closer to the World Government, and Mihawk was related to the high-ranking officials of the World Government.
This can be considered indirect evidence...
Furthermore, judging from Mihawk's words, it's currently uncertain whether Shanks will come.
It's just confirmed that the Red-Hair Pirates have passed through the Red Line Continent, and their destination should be here...
Since it's a feint, the entire crew won't be coming. Half of their fighting strength would be good enough. Of Shanks and Beckman, only one will likely come!
After all, on the other hand, there's the New World where he'll also be confronting Ochoku...
Mihawk is clearly only interested in Shanks!
In contrast, Kuma was much more "obedient," remaining on the sidelines waiting for orders.
Besides Momousagi, another Headquarters Vice Admiral arrived, namely Vice Admiral Doberman, who looked even fiercer than Shiryu —he had a mustache, a face full of scars, and a menacing appearance.
Shortly after Mihawk left, the doors of the research institute opened, and a figure in a white lab coat appeared—not Vegapunk, but a woman...and the woman Sig had seen in the dreams of Whitey Bay and Miss Buckingham!
That's that easygoing yet reliable female assistant!
She rushed out, gnawing on a piece of meat with bones in her hand, making Sig momentarily wonder if it was Fatty in disguise...
"Aunt Infinda, how's the research institute being tidied up...?" Momotaro was only halfway through his question when she rushed over and stretched his round face into a long, drawn line.
"Waaaaah... (How's it going? I'll deal with you first!)"
Because her mouth was stuffed with meat, Infinda's speech was unclear, but Momotaro still guessed it and quickly corrected himself, "Big Sister Infinda! How's the research institute being tidied up?"
"Hmph, almost there... It's mainly those things that need to be shut down slowly, it'll probably take another two hours." Infinda swallowed the meat and answered.
Momotaro realized she was referring to "Pacifista," which meant she was currently charging up, so shutting it down would require certain steps.
Doberman frowned as he watched this scene, clearly displeased with the institute staff's attitude towards the Navy.
"Since it's such a rush, what are you going to eat?" Doberman in a deep voice.
"Hmm? You really don't know anything..." Infinda took a breath, then said, "It's precisely because I was in such a hurry that I couldn't take all this meat with me! Of course, I had to put it in the most appropriate place! Hahaha..." She patted her belly and laughed heartily.
This female researcher looked to be a little over two meters tall, with a relatively normal body proportion and large eyes. She appeared to be in her thirties—though considering her nickname "Momotaro," she was probably much older than that.
Doberman's forehead bulged, but at that moment, Momotaro came over and quickly interrupted the argument between the two before it could erupt.
Although he's already twenty-seven or twenty-eight, Momotaro's advantage lies in his "baby face," and he's also sweet-talking and knows how to make older people happy...
(Gion glanced at Shiryu, sensing that he was speaking ill of her in his heart.)
At this time, Momotaro was in charge of defense on behalf of Vegapunk, and he treated Vice Admiral Doberman and Gion with utmost respect.
Especially when talking to Momousagi, she always uses a consultative tone, while she is a little more relaxed and knows how to get close to Doberman.
"Withdrawal is only a last resort, and... we can't withdraw when those Red-Hair guys arrive; we still need to be prepared to repel them," Dogman emphasized at this point.
Retreating in person would be more dangerous; it's better to "hold out" in the research institute.
Just then, Momousagi and Doberman's expressions changed, and Shiryu also turned to look in the direction of the safe haven.
Suddenly, a ripple appeared on the calm sea surface in the Calm Belt, and then... a huge bull-horned beast head sculpture pierced the sea surface!
Of course, not a real sea creature, but rather the bow of the ship...
Next to appear was the Red Fowles, a ship with a red and natural wood color scheme. Above the deck, there were raised, sealed compartments...
The Red Fox leaped high, as if it were about to leap over the Dragon Gate, and without even opening the sealed cabin, there were already quite a few people hanging on the ladder net, including Lucky Roux, who could be seen at a glance, as well as more than a dozen elite combatants!
During their brief dive, they were outside the sealed chamber, hanging directly from the ladder nets on both sides, just waiting to take action.
La Chiru led the vanguard, charging headlong into the naval formation...
At this point, Lucky Roo was no longer the "short and fat" figure Sig had when he first met him—he was even fatter than before, but also much taller!
Although it is shorter than Momousagi in its normal state, its volume is estimated to be seven or eight times that of Momousagi.
At that moment, Lucky Rue charged down, his body rapidly expanding... no! His upper body expanded violently, instantly transforming him into a giant whose upper body was only visible on the ground. With a swing of his enormous arms, he sent a group of ordinary marines flying!
The elite combatants who charged down with him were now like wolves among sheep, and ordinary officers of the rank of colonel were no match for them.
Compared to their seemingly "minor" appearance back then, the Red-Hair Pirates now, while still "lean" in number, have already laid the foundation for an Emperor-level crew.
While the navy and on-site guards were in disarray, the waterproof compartments on the deck opened, and a group of officers led by Shanks, along with many more combatants, emerged...
Shiryu glanced around and noticed that besides Shanks, the other familiar officers included the Ship Doctor Bendick Snake, the cook Rhyme Jones White, and the Gennosuke Dego. There was also another officer who looked quite strong and had a rather beastly demeanor. Although Sig hadn't seen him in person, he knew that it was Roar Gabu —an officer who had joined in the last two years.
As for Beckman, Yasopp, and helmsman Bingge Morio, they're not here right now; they're probably still in the New World fighting Ochoku...
This is already more people than Sig had imagined.
After all, the fighting in the New World was real; it wasn't just Ochoku putting on a show with the Red-Hair Pirates!
Dongdong: Here's what happened...
When this book was first written, half of the Red-Hair Pirates officers had not yet been named.
However, halfway through writing, because the new theatrical version features the Red-Hair Pirates as the main characters, the names of key members were revealed.
This is where the awkward thing happened: the names didn't match...
What's truly miraculous is that Bento guessed the name "Snake" perfectly, which is exactly what Kishimoto was thinking...
However, the names of the other people didn't match up; after all, it's impossible to guess all of them correctly in this kind of situation.
As I mentioned before, I won't change the name. However, I'll combine the two names now: the newly announced official name will be the surname, which is the first part of the name, and the name I made up will be the second part, which will be used as an intimate term of address among companions.