Messages kept popping up in the private chat window.
Straw Hat cracked his knuckles, clearly wanting to trade a few blows with Su Lin.
Kaido dragged his spiked club along, sparks flashing across the ground.
Whitebeard grinned while the three old-timers glared at him from the corners of their eyes.
"Luffy, I wasn't talking about you. Don't look at me like that."
"Garp, Sengoku, Whitebeard, Kaido, Hawkeye, don't look at me like that either. I wasn't talking about you."
"Buggy, don't be mad. I wasn't talking about you either. You're pretty impressive, in a certain sense."
"Fine, maybe I was being too arrogant. I'll tone it down." Su Lin shrugged, utterly unconcerned.
As he spoke, he used Aokiji's Fruit power to create an icy throne. With a wave of his right hand, magma surged from the ground around him, raising him above everyone else.
Su Lin slowly sat down. Though the chair froze his ass a little, his expression remained calm as he leisurely crossed one leg over the other.
"In short, everyone present, please give me, Su, a little face."
"Or do you think I don't carry enough weight?"
Su Lin smiled at the people around him. Then again, no matter how powerful his abilities were, he was still only one strong fighter. Even with his diverse Fruit powers, Marine Headquarters still had a chance of winning, though they had to consider whether the cost in casualties would be too great.
"Look over there. Isn't Red-Hair coming?"
Su Lin pointed toward the sea.
Although Su Lin's words sounded utterly absurd, everyone was currently considering only his powers and the potential threat he posed.
"Red-Hair?!"
Aokiji narrowed his eyes and looked toward the horizon.
Several black dots appeared in the distance.
A messenger at the communications tower spotted the distant scene and immediately notified the Marines.
"Wasn't Red-Hair confronting Kaido in the New World just yesterday?" a Marine vice admiral asked in surprise.
"Kaido is already here, so Red-Hair could very well be coming too." Momousagi bit her finger as she pondered.
"Another Yonko has come..." The Marine rear admiral desperately wanted to say they should just stop fighting, but he feared his colleagues around him would kill him before the enemy could.
He was never the type to die for the Marines' pride. Work was work.
Brring, brring.
Brring, brring.
The Den Den Mushi in Sengoku's coat pocket rang. Sengoku returned to human form and took the overcoat a soldier ran over to hand him.
He took out the Den Den Mushi.
"Report!"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! A ship from the Yonko Red Hair Pirates has appeared five kilometers away and is heading toward Marineford!"
"Continue monitoring them!"
Sengoku hung up, gritting his teeth as he glanced at Su Lin before looking at the black dots beyond the horizon.
"Even Red-Hair is going to get involved?!"
Sengoku suddenly felt exhausted. Everything had clearly been proceeding according to plan. Even with Straw Hat Kid as an unexpected variable, they should have been able to handle it.
After all, Straw Hat Kid had initially been nothing in their eyes.
Even though Straw Hat Kid's strength had somehow become terrifyingly powerful, reaching the level of a Yonko, they still had a chance to win this battle.
At the very least, they had to keep Whitebeard here.
But that fellow named Su Lin, along with Red-Hair, had become weights that shattered the balance.
If they kept fighting, even if he and Garp could still fight, their chances of victory were slim. If things went badly, more than half of Marine Headquarters' top combat power could be lost today.
But if they agreed to stop now and Fire Fist Ace was rescued as well, where would the Marines' dignity be?!
This was not a responsibility he could shoulder alone.
"Ah, ah, right." Su Lin's booming voice once again drew the attention of the entire battlefield.
"Celestial Dragon lives are important, aren't they?"
"How many Celestial Dragon lives do you think it would take to trade for a ceasefire, Sengoku?"
Su Lin revealed a gentle smile. Under his control, a ray of sunlight fell upon where he stood.
The moment Su Lin said those words, the reporters watching the spectacle at the Sabaody Archipelago were too terrified to speak.
In the eyes of most people in this world, the Celestial Dragons' status was deeply rooted and utterly untouchable.
For Su Lin to say such things before the entire world was no different from declaring war on the world's legitimate military forces.
"I can change my appearance, and I also have abilities like the Glint-Glint Fruit that I copied today."
"How about this? If you don't agree to my demands, I'll leave the battlefield and start assassinating Celestial Dragons."
"You can keep wasting time on this battlefield. Let's see who'll protect that pile of pig-like trash."
Su Lin spoke at length as everyone stared at him wide-eyed.
"I once copied the Warp-Warp Fruit's ability. I can go anywhere I want. If you don't believe me, check Impel Down's surveillance footage and see whether I suddenly appeared there."
"My patience is limited. If you refuse, I'll kill one—no, five Celestial Dragons first and show you. How about that?"
"You can keep fighting your battle."
Su Lin raised one hand, gesturing for them to continue.
"I'll go bring back a few Celestial Dragon heads for you to kick around like balls. Liven things up a bit?"
Inside the World Government's conference room.
The bald Five Elder smashed the table with an enraged slap and roared, "How dare he?!"
"This man's Fruit power is far too dangerous," said the Five Elder with a shaved head.
"If he remains at large, CP0 will not only have to deal with the Nika Fruit's power, but also guard against this man," said the long-bearded Five Elder.
"Have Sengoku agree to the ceasefire first. Check the surveillance footage from Impel Down."
"That is our only option. The Celestial Dragons are already calling."
"But this man and Straw Hat Kid must be dealt with."
"We must consider this carefully. Have CP0 gather intelligence on him first."
"The Marines have already lost this Summit War."
Su Lin had watched One Piece. Although he had forgotten some of the plot, he knew the personalities of Marines like Sengoku and what they were worried about now.
I got to show off, and I farmed my points.
As for face, if you give me face, I'll give you face. Isn't that how it should work?
And I even came up with an excuse for you.
"Sengoku, for the safety of that pile of trash, there's no choice but to cease fire~." Garp picked his nose and skipped over to Sengoku's side with a grin.
"Shut up, Garp!" Sengoku roared at Garp. Yet Garp was right. If they did not stop fighting, no one could keep that man here. Sengoku glanced at the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
He knew someone was even more panicked than he was right now.
It should be soon.
Brring, brring.
Brring, brring.
"This is Sengoku." Sengoku picked up the Den Den Mushi.
"Mm, understood."
He hung up.
In that case, all responsibility had nothing to do with the Marines.
Sengoku closed his eyes. After thinking it through, he took out a loudspeaker.
"All Marines!"
"Stop the pursuit. Regroup and rest where you are!"
"Fleet Admiral?!" some Marines asked in confusion.
"This is an order from the World Government! Everyone, follow commands. Rescue the wounded and assess the losses."
This was not the Marines' decision, but an order from the World Government?
A ceasefire?!
The Marine elites and the pirates immediately turned their gazes toward the man standing at the center of the battlefield.
Had that man's threat actually worked?!
Someone had actually dared to use Celestial Dragons to threaten the Marines and even the World Government.
"Celebrate, Whitebeard."
"This time, you have won." Sengoku put away the loudspeaker and spoke to Whitebeard.
Then Sengoku and Garp turned and left, leaving behind everyone still frozen in shock.
(End of Chapter)