The Person Shakky Wanted to Save?

"Why are you here?"

Sengoku's voice carried down from the warship. He had imagined many possibilities, such as Garp failing to find Whitebeard and the others and returning empty-handed.

Or Garp successfully finding them, then fighting them to the death.

But he had never imagined that Whitebeard and the others, who should have been fleeing in panic as prey, would actually turn back.

No... not "they." Only Whitebeard?

Sengoku's gaze swiftly swept across the coastline behind Whitebeard. There was no second figure in sight.

What was Whitebeard's purpose in returning alone?

Had he shaken off the deadweight so he could fight at his full strength?

The moment that thought surfaced, Sengoku instinctively dismissed it.

Sengoku understood Whitebeard. He was not the sort of man who craved battle. Under normal circumstances, he would never have turned back.

That left only one truth.

A faint smile slowly appeared on Sengoku's face. Looking at Whitebeard, he spoke evenly. "Where are the others? Hiding? Waiting for me to fight you so they can slip in and seize the Heavenly Tribute?"

Whitebeard's expression remained unchanged after his plan was seen through. Honestly, anyone with half a brain could tell there was something suspicious about them suddenly returning. He had never expected to fool Sengoku.

"That's right," Whitebeard admitted in a deep voice.

Standing on the ship's railing, Sengoku slowly walked along the side of the vessel, his tone calm and unhurried. "Your idea does have some merit, but not much. And you don't have much time left."

As soon as he finished speaking, he gave Whitebeard no chance to respond. He abruptly turned around and loudly issued an order to the Marines behind him.

"On my command, move the warship back three nautical miles! Fire all cannons upward!"

The instant the command was given, mechanical roars erupted.

The World Government warship's engines thundered. White spray surged behind the stern as the enormous vessel began moving backward.

At the same time, cannon after cannon raised their muzzles toward the sky.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!

Pitch-black cannonballs streaked into the air with flaming trails, arcing downward through the sky as explosions rang out one after another.

Whitebeard's gaze darkened slightly. As Sengoku had said, they did not have much time. Once Garp on the island heard the commotion, he would undoubtedly return immediately.

Moreover, the World Government warship had already retreated some distance out to sea. If Whitebeard forcibly unleashed the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power, the massive waves and shockwaves might very well hit Ron and the others.

"What a sly bastard," Whitebeard muttered.

Ron and the others stopped hiding and quickly came to Whitebeard's side.

Sengoku truly deserved his later title of the "Resourceful General." In just a short while, he had turned an unfavorable situation around and thrown the problem back at Ron's side.

"We don't have much time. We must try before that bastard Garp gets back. If we still can't succeed in the end, we have to retreat. Understood?" Whitebeard instructed from the side.

But just as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a tug around his waist.

Whitebeard looked down and saw Ron, in Tailed Beast Transformation, firmly gripping his belt with a beast claw.

"Hey, Ron, what are you doing?" Whitebeard asked in surprise.

"Aren't we in a hurry?" Ron's voice rang out. "Then we should just charge in. I don't want this trip to be for nothing."

With that, Ron directly hurled Whitebeard toward the World Government warship.

"You bastard!"

Whitebeard cursed, but quickly adjusted himself. He flipped through the air, tightly gripping his naginata with both hands. Haki spread across the blade, while a white sphere of energy gathered at its end—the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

At the same time, Ron did not stop. He grabbed Kaido and Stussy as well.

"Hey, hey, hey, can I just wait here for you?" Stussy flailed her arms in the air. "Or... could you at least throw us accurately, Ron!"

Kaido showed no fear at all. Instead, he looked as though he had been pumped full of adrenaline, raising his spiked club high as he shouted excitedly, "Charge! Charge! Ron, let's go!"

"I never should have come with you..." Stussy closed her eyes in despair.

Ron did not throw them over. Holding the two of them, he pushed off with all four limbs. His Tailed Beast Transformation body raced wildly across the sea, sprinting at full speed toward the warship.

In midair, Whitebeard had already closed in on the warship.

Sengoku looked up, his pupils reflecting the figure descending from the sky.

"These lunatics!" Sengoku cursed, immediately activating his Devil Fruit power without hesitation.

Golden light blazed brightly.

A massive golden Buddha rose from the warship. Its palm opened, and Haki covered its gigantic golden fist like black armor.

Sengoku looked up, locking onto Whitebeard's trajectory, then threw a punch.

Boom!

Fist and blade collided in midair.

A deafening impact echoed across the entire sea, and terrifying shockwaves spread outward like a tsunami.

The air around the warship was compressed into visible ripples. The sea surface caved in under the pressure, with waves surging to either side.

Under the immense impact, the deck beneath Sengoku's feet instantly cracked apart. The entire warship visibly sank lower, its hull letting out a piercing groan.

"Hah!"

"Aah!"

Both sides increased their output at the same time. Whitebeard's naginata pressed down another inch, while Sengoku's fist pushed upward two inches.

The energy shockwaves burst outward with even greater violence. Chunks of the deck were ripped up, flung into the air, then shredded into fragments.

After several seconds of deadlock.

The floor beneath Sengoku's feet finally gave out.

Crack... boom!

The floor collapsed with a thunderous crash, and Sengoku fell downward alongside the shattered deck.

Whitebeard withdrew his force and landed steadily on the warship's deck. His naginata rested across his body as he stared intently at the huge depression before him, billowing with dust and smoke.

Before the dust had settled, a blinding beam of golden light shot out from the hole.

Whoosh!!

Sengoku leaped out of the gaping hole, rapidly adjusting himself in midair as his lightning-sharp gaze swept the surroundings.

Ron, in Tailed Beast Transformation, was gone.

Kaido was gone.

Stussy was gone too.

Sengoku's face immediately darkened.

There was no need to think about it. Those three had already slipped into the warship's interior while he was fighting Whitebeard.

"Damn it." Sengoku landed and returned to human form, gritting his teeth as he growled, "I absolutely cannot lose it under my watch!"

He turned, ready to rush into the ship's interior.

But at that moment, a tall figure appeared behind him.

"Sengoku," Whitebeard slowly said, "I haven't gone down yet."

Inside the warship.

Ron, Kaido, and Stussy darted around frantically.

The corridors were narrow and winding, with iron doors every so often.

Decks, stairs, corridors, cabins—Ron and the others tore through them like a red-hot blade cutting through butter, leaving devastation in their wake.

Alarms echoed throughout the warship, while red warning lights flashed madly.

In just a short time, the interior had already descended into complete chaos.

"Left, left—no, right!" Kaido loudly directed them from behind.

"Shut up! Just follow Ron!" Stussy shot back between breaths.

Boom!

With a tremendous crash, Ron punched down the largest and sturdiest iron door inside the ship.

Behind it was an enormous cargo hold.

Treasure chests piled high like mountains were neatly stacked along both sides of the hold.

"Hahahaha! We've hit the jackpot!" Stussy was so happy she could barely close her mouth, her eyes shining. She rushed into the cargo hold in two quick strides, pulled a sack from her waist, opened a chest, squatted down, and began stuffing things into it like mad.

Ron and Kaido, however, were not drawn in by those glittering treasures.

The two rushed toward the chests with uncanny coordination. They quickly flipped open one lid—no Devil Fruit, only gold coins. They shut it, opened the second—still no, only jewelry. Shut it, then opened the third...

"Ron," Kaido asked while searching, a hint of uncertainty in his voice, "our previous agreement... still counts, right?"

"Don't question my character." Ron did not even look up, his hands never stopping. "Hurry up and search. Don't get distracted."

"What are you looking for?" An unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded through the cargo hold. "Perhaps I can help."

Ron froze, and his hands stopped moving.

He instinctively looked toward the voice. About three meters away, behind a set of iron bars, stood a pink-haired woman gripping the bars. A bomb collar was around her neck, and she stared at him without blinking.

A slave?

That thought flashed through Ron's mind. He looked away and opened another treasure chest beside him, though he casually asked, "Do you know which chest has fruit in it?"

The pink-haired woman did not answer immediately. She fell silent for several seconds, as though considering what Ron meant.

Then she slowly spoke. "You mean... that kind of strange fruit with patterns on it?"

Ron's hand stopped in midair.

He slowly raised his head and looked at the pink-haired woman again.