War Begins

Tashigi fell silent.

As a Marine, she naturally knew what decision the higher-ups would make when faced with such a choice.

The fact that an admiral had been dispatched immediately after a Celestial Dragon was attacked in the Sabaody Archipelago showed just how important the Celestial Dragons were to the Navy's upper ranks.

To put it bluntly, the entire Navy was nothing more than the Celestial Dragons' dogs.

"Bonney, imagine the ability of the Ice-Ice Fruit. Freeze all these heads, then put them into boxes."

With Bonney's Age-Age Fruit, she alone could do many things. Although the Devil Fruits she simulated would not be very powerful since they had not been developed, they could at least produce basic effects.

When Tashigi saw Bonney actually use the Ice-Ice Fruit's ability, she could not help but feel surprised.

That was the ability of Navy Admiral Aokiji...

After the old man relayed Rune's words to the island's residents, they happily came over to help Rune move food and fresh water, as well as carry everything off the Tea Beard Pirates' ship.

"You can dismantle this pirate ship and use the materials to repair the houses and other things on the island that the Tea Beard Pirates destroyed."

As Rune spoke to the old man, he gave one-quarter of the Tea Beard Pirates' treasure to the island's residents as compensation for the losses they had suffered from Tea Beard's robbery.

Naturally, all the remaining treasure belonged to Rune.

"Thousand Sunny, set sail!"

Rune stood on the Thousand Sunny's deck. Their food and fresh water had been replenished, and they had also gained some treasure and unclaimed bounties. This stop had been quite profitable.

"Your Haki is terrible. Does the Navy not teach you at all?"

While sailing at sea, Rune suddenly felt like testing Tashigi's strength. However, she was simply too weak. He covered his entire body in Armament Haki and stood there for her to slash at him, yet she still could not break through his defense.

With strength like that, she might not even be able to dive into the sea and rescue someone.

"Starting today, you need to train your Haki properly too!"

Rune did not go easy on Tashigi when sparring with her. This display of respect for his opponent meant that whenever Tashigi sparred with Rune, she could never hold out for long before collapsing.

Still, the improvement under such intense pressure was obvious.

After sailing with Rune for a month, Tashigi's strength improved rapidly. Although she was still the weakest person on the ship, she was at least far better than when she had first come aboard.

Under Rune's guidance, Luffy had finally developed Gear Fourth. However, he had made no progress with the technique of Conqueror's Haki Coating.

In Rune's current team, Kuma possessed strength comparable to a powerful Seven Warlord. Luffy was about as strong as Kuma was now, while Rune had become the strongest member of the team as his Conqueror's Coating grew increasingly proficient.

Bonney was relatively weak, but thanks to the Age-Age Fruit's special nature, she could defeat opponents who relied on Devil Fruit abilities by simulating a Fruit ability that countered theirs. But against opponents with powerful Haki, like Rune...

Bonney was completely helpless.

Tashigi was the weakest of them all. Her Haki was about on par with Bonney's current level, and she did not even have a Devil Fruit ability. Rune had brought her along purely so she could take the heads of pirates he killed and exchange them for bounties.

After all, Rune could not possibly go to the Navy himself to claim bounties.

If he got captured, it would trigger the Summit War.

And Tashigi... the first time she helped Rune collect a bounty, she had already contacted the Navy. However, Rune was a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, and the Navy could not go to war with one of the Four Emperors' crews, so they did not send forces to eliminate Rune.

Without an admiral present, the Navy knew perfectly well that they could not take down Rune's group.

Under those circumstances, Tashigi remained in Rune's team as a Navy spy embedded within the Whitebeard Pirates. Rune knew about it too, but he did not care.

Unless the Navy intended to wage all-out war against one of the Four Emperors, Tashigi's role as a spy had no meaning at all.

Tashigi practiced her swordsmanship and Haki aboard the Thousand Sunny, becoming increasingly quiet and taciturn.

Mainly because everyone else on the ship was a pirate, and she did not really want to talk to pirates.

Although...

Over this period of observation, Tashigi discovered that Rune had not done anything particularly bad. He had killed people, but all those he killed were pirates.

As a pirate, Rune had now killed more pirates than she had as a Marine.

That made Tashigi doubt herself at night, when all was quiet.

Was the justice she had always upheld truly correct?

"Rune, Marco is calling for you."

Bonney poked her head out from the captain's quarters and called to Rune. Since Rune was now a division commander, any matter had to be decided by him.

"I'm coming."

Rune glanced at Tashigi and ignored her. He picked up the Transponder Snail and watched as it took on Marco's expression.

"Pops plans to make a trip to Wano Country. Go directly to the outskirts of Wano Country and rendezvous with us."

Rune could not help but freeze when he heard that.

The Whitebeard Pirates were going to Wano Country?

Were they going to avenge Kozuki Oden?

Or was it for something else?

Rune frowned. With the Whitebeard Pirates as they were now...

It would not be impossible for them to clash with Kaido's Beast Pirates.

Whitebeard's injuries and illness had fully healed. With Marco, Ace, Jozu, and Vista, along with Rune and Kuma, the Whitebeard Pirates' top-level combat power was now stronger than Kaido's Beast Pirates.

But Whitebeard had previously avoided going to Wano Country because he feared it would cause even greater losses.

But now...

Had Pops, restored to health, finally gained the confidence to seek justice from Kaido for his former brother?

Or perhaps...

Did Pops believe that the current Beast Pirates were an excellent proving ground?

Rune did not know. He would have to wait until he returned to the crew and met Whitebeard to find out. But no matter what, they had to sail there.

"That brat from the Whitebeard Pirates has been quite active at sea lately."

Although Rune's bounty had not changed, he had entered the Navy's sights because of Tashigi.

This guy, whose rise was even more explosive than Ace's back then, was enough to earn a place on the Navy's list of priority targets.

"The seas have been a little too quiet lately. Those people known as the Worst Generation have all vanished without a trace."

The Marines chatted idly, and Rune, this rising new star, was naturally also a member of the "Worst Generation."

"I have a feeling something big is about to happen."

Just as the Marines were chatting about this, the Transponder Snail suddenly rang.

"Breaking news! The Whitebeard Pirates and the Beast Pirates have gone to war!"