Setting Sail for the Sea

"Turn off the livestream! Mobilize the entire Navy! We absolutely cannot let these guys leave Loguetown—especially that bastard Ye Mu of the Sky Pirate Crew!"

At that moment, Sengoku was so furious that his face had flushed red.

Fortunately, after the initial panic, he quickly calmed down and issued a series of orders.

But he soon realized that the situation was worsening far too quickly, and he was already powerless to stop it.

A dense crowd, visible to the naked eye, surged toward the harbor like a wave.

"Fufufufufu... A new age has begun... Our era has arrived..."

"Zehahaha... You brats, we can't fall behind either. Charge!"

"Gurarara... The age of the great pirates, huh... It really gets the blood pumping... One Piece, huh..."

"Captain... Captain... I'll definitely find some outstanding companions and inherit your dream..."

"Waaaaah... Captain Roger..."

"What a dangerous man... Too bad... he isn't a pure swordsman... I still have a long way to go on the path of the Great Swordsman..."

"Ye Mu of the Sky Pirate Crew... I'm looking forward to our next meeting more and more... For now, let me give you a hand..."

At this moment, no matter what each person was thinking, they all shared one goal: the sea.

"Hey, Sengoku, what are you doing? Why haven't you ordered us to attack yet?"

Beside Sengoku, Spandine, the representative sent by the World Government, watched as the pirates drew closer and closer to the harbor. Some had even boarded their pirate ships, yet the Navy still had not acted. He shouted anxiously.

Sengoku stared fixedly toward the harbor and said firmly,

"No. There are too many civilians here. If we order an attack, ordinary people will definitely be hurt."

"Are you crazy? Who has time to worry about that now? What if we let them reach the sea and they get away?"

"Don't worry. They won't get away. I've already sent Kuzan over..."

"You bastard... You completely botched the execution of the Pirate King Roger this time. Just wait for the World Government to hold you accountable... We're leaving..."

Spandine anxiously led the members of CP9 in pursuit of Ye Mu and the others.

Meanwhile, Ye Mu, the true instigator behind everything, was leading his companions as they raced toward their ship.

"Looks like quite a lot of people have their eyes on us..."

Through his Observation Haki, Enel sensed countless Marines surging toward them.

"Isn't that only natural?"

Ye Mu said with a smile. Looking up, he saw all kinds of people around him, their faces filled with excitement and madness.

Some of them might already have been pirates, but most were people who had not been prepared to set out to sea. After being inspired by Roger, however, they had decided to pursue their dreams and greed upon the ocean. They all shared one goal: to make their way to the sea.

Not far away, the harbor was already packed with ships, while Marines blocked the road ahead.

"Should we make a move?"

"No need. These Marines can't stop all these crazed people."

At that moment, the Marines blocking the harbor were drenched in cold sweat as they watched the people charging toward the sea like a horde of zombies.

"Fire! Fire! Drive these people back!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The continuous gunfire did temporarily frighten the ordinary people at the very front, but it was only temporary.

Because a crazed voice suddenly rang out.

"Gurarara... Don't get in the way of men setting out to sea, Marines... Sables!"

As soon as the words fell, a massive desert tornado appeared in the Marines' line of sight. The swirling sand swept toward them from all directions.

"Damn Sand Crocodile Crocodile..."

The Marines who could appear here were no ordinary soldiers. They instantly recognized the cloaked man.

Drawing the two swords at his waist, one of them slashed at the desert tornado.

"Don't underestimate the Navy... Two-Sword Style: Storm Slash!"

Two visible slashes of sword aura shot out toward Crocodile. But Crocodile did not move at all, because a figure descended from the sky, wielding a massive Black Blade. With a single slash, he easily blocked the Marine's attack.

"Hawkeye Mihawk..."

The Marines' expressions turned grim when they saw the man who had blocked the slash, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

"Why? Do you want to become a pirate too?"

Mihawk shook his head.

"No... I simply saw a beautiful slash, and it brought me joy. I couldn't help but intervene."

"Damn you..."

The Marine was furious, but it was clearly too late. Taking advantage of the opening, Crocodile's sandstorm tore straight through the packed Marines, carving out a path.

The Marines, however, were not worried, because this was only their first line of defense.

"We won't let you pass. Anyone who crosses this line will be considered a pirate and executed."

As soon as he finished speaking, two enormous figures, each as large as a hill, emerged from the massive buildings hidden on either side. One swung a huge ax in one hand, while the other wielded a Shark-Cutting Blade. Together, they blotted out the sky.

"Giants..."

The terrifying size of the two figures placed tremendous psychological pressure on ordinary people. Some were instantly frightened into stopping in their tracks, but the true great pirates were not intimidated.

"Zehahaha... This grand performance can't be limited to just you."

As the words fell, a skinny pirate resembling a bat, carrying a long blade, charged fearlessly to the front and slashed at the two Giants.

"Captain Gecko Moria of the Thriller Bark Pirates..."

"Go to hell!"

In an instant, the two Giant Marines swung their weapons at Moria with thunderous force. The gusts raised by their attacks alone sent anyone nearby flying.

But Moria did not retreat. Instead, his face was filled with excitement. Armament Haki coiled around the black blade in his hand as it clashed with the gigantic ax and Shark-Cutting Blade, each more than ten times larger than his body.

The tremendous force was enough to destroy a mountain, yet it only forced Moria half a step backward. At the same time, his expression grew even more excited.

"Zehahaha... So this is the power of a Giant?"

"Captain... That's incredible... He actually blocked two Vice Admirals with his own strength!"

His subordinates shouted excitedly behind him. When they saw a single pirate hold back the two Giants, the pirates who had initially retreated in fear of their imposing figures once again charged toward the sea without a care for their lives.

"The Navy is nothing special after all..."

"Hurry! Once we get aboard our ships, we won't have to fear them!"

"The Great Treasure of One Piece... We're coming!"

"Damn it..."

The two Giant Marines caught sight of the scene from the corners of their eyes, and their expressions instantly changed. They poured even more strength into their attacks, intending to force Moria back and stop the pirates. But just then, they suddenly discovered that their bodies could no longer move.

"Fufufufufu... What a lively scene... So this is the age of the great pirates?"

"Who?"

Everyone turned toward the source of the voice. High in the sky, they saw a man wearing a red flamingo-feather coat, slowly flying over while walking on air.

"Damn it... Captain Doflamingo of the Donquixote Family Pirates..."