After rushing nonstop, Luffy and his Sunny finally arrived in the waters near the Marine Headquarters, Marineford, a day ahead of schedule, and began circling and probing around the outer perimeter of the Marine patrol fleet.
Even in broad daylight, he had no intention of hiding. He openly observed and loitered far out at sea, seemingly... genuinely trying to find a way to sneak into the Marine Headquarters base and successfully rescue the important prisoner who had surely already been escorted inside—the way to save his sworn elder brother, Portgas D. Ace?
However...
Before he could think of or find a reliable way to sneak in, the Sunny's sail, painted with a huge Straw Hat pirate emblem, finally succeeded in provoking the Marines inside Marineford.
Then!
Led by a large battleship, several medium-sized warships formed an attacking V-shaped formation and charged aggressively toward the Sunny, with the large battleship at the head.
At first, Luffy didn't pay much attention to it. He had even considered whether he should seize an opportunity to counterattack, or perhaps capture a large number of Marines and warships by boarding them, then use them to force the Marines to release his sworn brother, Ace, or something like that.
Yes, Luffy was confident he could go that far!
Because his Sunny currently had the "brat" Annie aboard, a pirate with a bounty of five and a half billion. Even if the approaching warships were led by a Marine admiral, he still wouldn't be afraid in the slightest.
In fact, even without Annie, that ultimate weapon, aboard his ship, he absolutely wouldn't be afraid!
For the sake of his sworn brother Ace, Luffy feared nothing now. He could launch a surprise attack on the great prison, Impel Down, and he could also brazenly assault Marine Headquarters. Even