Rescue Plan

A massive paw-shaped bubble enveloped the Thousand Sunny. In the next instant, the Thousand Sunny and everyone aboard it appeared in the waters outside Wano Country. Kuma's Devil Fruit ability really was incredibly useful.

No wonder it was a fruit that had escaped from God Valley back then.

To avoid running into Kizaru again, Kuma chose another direction. The moment they arrived, Rune sensed an overwhelming presence coming from Wano Country.

The sky itself split apart again and again from the clash of those auras!

"Looks like they've already started fighting..."

Rune frowned. Going to war with the Beast Pirates was definitely not a good choice. Although the Whitebeard Pirates were stronger than the Beast Pirates now, if they truly fought, both sides would end up badly wounded.

In the end, it would only benefit the World Government and the Navy.

That was not an outcome Rune wanted to see.

But he could not participate in a battle of that level at all. Against an Admiral like Kizaru, who relied relatively heavily on his Devil Fruit ability, Rune could at least hold his own for a while.

But if Kizaru had not held back in the end, Rune would have been killed long ago.

And against existences like Whitebeard and Kaido, whose Haki and Devil Fruit powers were both extraordinarily strong...

If they truly wanted to kill him, Rune did not think he could last very long.

Still, what had happened had already happened. It was not something he could change. Rune had Luffy steer the Thousand Sunny toward the area where the Moby Dick was located.

"Kuma, no matter what happens later, don't come out of the ship."

Rune intended to see what kind of attitude Kizaru had toward his old friend. If the Navy did not refute the rumor that Kuma had died afterward, then Kizaru's stance would be very intriguing.

Perhaps he was someone they could win over.

But that would have to wait until Rune had reached the level of an Admiral or one of the Four Emperors. The current Rune definitely had no way of recruiting a powerhouse like that.

After telling Tashigi, Bonney, and Luffy to stay aboard and not run around, Rune made a huge leap onto the Moby Dick. One glance around the deck told him that something was wrong.

Ace was not there.

"Captain Marco, what exactly happened?"

When Marco saw Rune, he could not help sighing. He could not help thinking that if Ace had even half of Rune's steadiness, none of this would have happened.

"You know who originally held the division number Ace inherited, right?"

"That guy ran off alone again to avenge Kozuki Oden?"

Seeing that Rune had guessed it, Marco said no more. Ace was a good brother, but causing this kind of trouble was still rather headache-inducing.

"Pops and Kaido have already been fighting for two days..."

As Marco said this, Rune looked at that towering figure and could not help feeling worried. Kuma had cured all of Whitebeard's illnesses, but Whitebeard was no longer young after all.

If they went back twenty years, Whitebeard could have beaten Kaido like a son.

But now...

Whitebeard, having grown old, might not have lost much explosive power compared to his prime. But in a battle of endurance, how could he compete with a humanoid monster like Kaido?

Especially when Kaido was still in his prime...

"So our objective is to rescue Ace, right?"

"Pops intends to negotiate with Kaido, but from the looks of it, he'll have to beat Kaido into submission first."

There was worry in Marco's eyes as well. It was not that he lacked faith in Pops, but that he feared Pops' health would deteriorate again after such a massive battle.

If that happened...

It would somewhat betray all of Rune's efforts.

"Leave it to me."

Rune gritted his teeth and looked toward the battlefield between Whitebeard and Kaido. Given their strength, it would be impossible to determine a victor without fighting for several days.

And if Kizaru arrived by then...

Kizaru would get to reap the benefits.

Their goal was to rescue Ace anyway. As long as they got Ace out, everything else would be easier to handle.

"Rune, I suggest you don't take the risk."

"Don't worry."

Rune smiled faintly. "I ran into Kizaru on the way here. Even an Admiral couldn't keep me. With Kaido away, there's no one in Wano Country who can make me wary."

Marco froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"You ran into Kizaru?"

"Yes, but I still escaped with Kuma's ability. We only fought briefly."

Rune smiled faintly. "As expected of a Navy Admiral. He really is strong."

"Since you have a plan, go do it."

Marco looked at Rune. Before he knew it, this younger brother who had constantly pestered him for sparring and training, despite having only recently joined the ship, had become a powerhouse capable of standing on his own!

Rune returned to the Thousand Sunny and found Kuma.

"Kuma, can you send me into Wano Country? We're going to rescue Ace."

"Wano Country..."

Kuma hesitated. He could send people to places he had visited, but he was not familiar with Wano Country.

"It doesn't need to be precise. Just send me somewhere you can see."

Rune saw Kuma's concern. "Our mission is to try to rescue Ace. If we can't find him within a day, we'll return immediately."

Kaido and Whitebeard were fighting now, so the Beast Pirates' higher-ups within Wano Country would not notice their infiltration.

And if Rune could rescue Ace, then...

The Whitebeard Pirates and Beast Pirates would naturally have no reason to go to war.

At most, Kaido would have trouble saving face.

But Rune believed that Kaido would not abandon all of Wano Country just over a little lost face and chase after the Whitebeard Pirates.

Paw-shaped bubbles covered Rune and Kuma, but Rune suddenly reached out and stopped Kuma.

He looked at Tashigi and smiled faintly.

"Tashigi, lend me your coat for a while."

Tashigi did not understand why, but Rune had already run into her room and taken her pink Justice coat.

Only then did Rune have Kuma activate his Devil Fruit ability. The two vanished instantly. In the next moment, they appeared directly atop a house in Wano Country.

Rune was not very familiar with Wano Country because before coming to this world, he had not paid much attention to the Wano Country arc's plot.

Kozuki Oden was simply too disappointing.

As a result, in his previous life, he had basically only watched the pure fight version with the "unnecessary dialogue removed."

Still, that did not greatly affect Rune's current mission.

He only needed to find Ace.

And this world had things like Vivre Cards.

"Kuma, this way!"

Rune and Kuma leaped down from the roof, then covered themselves with the power of darkness. Following the shadows on the ground, they headed toward Ace under the guidance of the Vivre Card.