Desperate Flight for Their Lives

"Purururu—"

The third day.

The sound of a Den Den Mushi rang throughout Golden City Shandora.

Sumer was roasting the foreleg of some unknown animal over a fire, while Enel's head had swollen up like a pig's.

He had woken up during that time.

But the moment he did, Saint Marcus Mars kicked him unconscious again.

"Saint Mars, this is Borsalino. The Navy's Buster Call fleet is about to reach Jaya Island. Please instruct us on the next course of action."

As soon as the call connected,

Borsalino's lazy, flippant voice came through.

On the vast, boundless sea, ten enormous warships far larger than standard vessels sailed in a line toward Jaya Island.

Borsalino lounged in a deck chair aboard the central warship, holding a Den Den Mushi in one hand.

He adjusted the sunglasses on his nose and casually glanced at Garp's back. Wearing a dog-head hat, Garp stood at the bow, gazing into the distance.

On the other warships,

the five Vice Admirals from Navy Headquarters—Dalmatian, Doll, Urban, Bluegrass, and Pomsky—held telescopes as they stared solemnly at Jaya Island.

"Level Jaya Island to the ground!!!"

Saint Marcus Mars's emotionless order made Borsalino frown slightly. Even Garp turned to look at the Den Den Mushi in Borsalino's hand.

Unfortunately,

the Den Den Mushi hung up after two purururu rings.

"How ruthless! Looks like someone on Jaya Island has rebelled."

Borsalino rose from his chair, stretched, slipped the Den Den Mushi into his pocket, then made a gesture toward an observer in the lookout tower.

Receiving the order, the observer began notifying the other warships.

"Not necessarily a rebellion!"

Garp narrowed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest, the Justice coat on his back whipping wildly in the sea breeze.

He knew full well that the Celestial Dragons did not need any legitimate reason to destroy an island.

Most of the time, it was simply because of their personal whims.

The most infamous example was how the Celestial Dragons chose an island from a nation unaffiliated with the World Government every three years and held a hunting competition.

They treated the island's natives and slaves as prey, torturing and slaughtering them as they pleased.

That alone showed just how brutal the Celestial Dragons were.

"Whether someone rebelled is no longer important. One of the Five Elders gave this order."

A flash of golden light.

Borsalino appeared beside Garp. Looking at Jaya Island, no bigger than a sesame seed from this distance, his expression remained calm.

At the same time,

over in Mock Town.

Ten massive warships suddenly appeared on the horizon, like giant moving fortresses. There was no way they could remain hidden.

Quite a few pirates noticed them.

For a moment,

this lawless haven of decadence instantly descended into chaos. Countless pirates went pale and immediately prepared to put out to sea.

"Captain, something terrible has happened—"

Inside a tavern somewhere.

Blackbeard was drinking when Lafitte entered from outside with a grave expression.

"Lafitte, what has you so flustered?"

Blackbeard remained calm. He gulped down a huge mouthful of liquor and even let out a belch.

"Captain, I have very bad news. Jaya Island has been surrounded by ten Navy warships!"

On the rooftop.

Van Augur, the sniper of the Blackbeard Pirates known as Supersonic, held his sniper rifle, Senriku. He pushed up the monocular over his right eye and stared unwaveringly at the ten warships sailing in formation.

When he spotted Borsalino and Garp aboard the central ship, his pupils contracted.

"What?"

Blackbeard and Lafitte left the tavern and stepped onto the street, looking up at Van Augur on the roof.

"There's even worse news. The fleet is led by Navy Admiral Kizaru and Navy Hero Garp."

"Zehahaha—Augur, are you sure you didn't see wrong?!"

Shock appeared on Blackbeard's ambitious face. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead as his mind raced wildly.

Could the Navy be coming for him?!

No.

He had not yet truly made a name for himself. The Navy's target should not be him.

With ten warships, Kizaru, and Iron Fist Garp, he was not yet worthy of such a lineup.

"I didn't see wrong. Not only are Kizaru and Iron Fist Garp here, there are also five Vice Admirals from Navy Headquarters."

"Together with ten warships far beyond standard specifications... this is bad. It's an emergency summons. The Navy is going to destroy Jaya Island."

Van Augur shifted his gaze. When he spotted Dalmatian and the other five Vice Admirals, he suddenly realized what was happening.

"What? An emergency summons? Isn't that a Buster Call?"

Doc Q, who had walked out of the tavern as well and lay sprawled across Stronger's back like he was terminally ill and about to die at any moment, immediately straightened up.

"Wihahaha—"

"What's a Buster Call? Do we need to be so nervous?"

Jesus Burgess, standing beside Lafitte with his fists raised, laughed fearlessly.

"There's no time to explain! This is fate, Captain. We need to retreat!"

Van Augur performed a backflip in midair, then dropped freely and landed firmly on the ground. He slung Senriku across his back with great elegance.

"Move."

Blackbeard did not hesitate in the slightest. With a sweep of his hand, he turned and ran.

His hurried footsteps made it clear just how panicked he was!

"Get out of the way!"

"Damn it, why has the Navy come to Jaya Island?"

"That's the scale of a Navy emergency summons—"

"Run! Navy Admiral Kizaru and the Navy Hero are here!"

"Don't block my way!"

"Captain, run!!!"

"Bastard, who provoked the Navy's Buster Call? Now all of Jaya Island is going to be flattened."

It was plain to see.

Pirates throughout Mock Town were fleeing for their lives, as were pirates elsewhere on Jaya Island, because a barrage of cannonballs had already begun raining down from the sea.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ten warships fired in unison from their line formation. The first wave of cannonballs struck the harbor and instantly destroyed the pirate ships there.

Many pirates were swallowed by the explosions, reduced to nothing without even the chance to scream.

Other pirates caught in the blasts screamed and wailed as they ran toward the other side of the island.

In just ten minutes,

Jaya Island's coastline was engulfed in flames. Explosions erupted everywhere, and pillars of smoke rose into the sky.

"Ahhh! Save me!"

"I don't want to die!"

The pungent stench of charred limbs mixed with gunpowder and thick smoke, drifting through the air.

Blackbeard and the other four covered their noses and mouths with grim expressions, all of them looking rather disheveled.

They ignored the pirates crying for help around them and simply fled with their heads down.

"What do we do now? Our pirate ship was destroyed!"

The sickly Doc Q panicked.

They had just reached the harbor earlier and had not even boarded when a wave of cannonballs fell from the sky, blasting their pirate ship to pieces.

"Augur, find a weak point!"

Blackbeard's expression was ugly. One wrong move, and they could all be buried on Jaya Island.

He had only just obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit. How could he die so easily?

"Understood!"

Van Augur nodded and vanished from the spot. The next second, he appeared more than twenty meters in the air and swiftly surveyed the sea.

After landing,

he spoke quickly.

"There's a weak point to the west. We can take the chance to seize a warship and escape."

"No, we can't seize a warship!"

Lafitte immediately rejected Van Augur's suggestion and said urgently, "Don't forget Kizaru. If we seize a warship, we'll be too obvious."

"If Kizaru notices us, there will only be one outcome: death."

"Captain, the safest option now is to follow those pirates and break through with them—"

"Listen to Lafitte. Move!"

Blackbeard made his decision without hesitation and immediately accepted Lafitte's suggestion.