Calling for Help / Rushing to the Rescue

Marco saw Whitebeard fall silent and a flicker of worry crossed his eyes.

"Gurararara... Enough of that! Let's have a banquet!"

"Pops..."

New World, G-5 Base.

Off-duty Marines packed the vast Training Ground from end to end. At the center of the dense crowd stood Garp and Atlas.

Ever since Garp had seen Atlas use Flying Finger Pistol: Explosion, he had been unable to get it out of his head. He was certain Atlas was no Devil Fruit User, so he had pestered him every day for a spar. In the end, Atlas had no choice but to let Garp drag him to the Training Ground.

"Hey, who do you think will win, Vice Admiral Garp or Commodore Atlas?"

"Isn't it fucking obvious? Vice Admiral Garp's a Marine hero. He even caught Roger..."

"Still, Commodore Atlas is seriously strong. He's so young, yet he beat Jozu of the Whitebeard Pirates."

"Are the Whitebeard Pirates our target this time? Or the Big Mom Pirates? We've been fighting Whitebeard a lot these past few months."

"No idea. But most of Headquarters' forces have been sent to the New World this time. A war will probably break out soon..."

As they watched the spar, the Marines' conversation drifted toward the situation in the New World. They naturally had no idea what the Marines' real objective was. They assumed the Marines were about to move against a dominant pirate crew like the Whitebeard Pirates.

"Hahahaha! Atlas, show this old man that special Shigan of yours!" Garp charged straight across the Training Ground, swinging his iron fists.

"Iron Body Fist: Armament Haki!" Atlas's blood surged through his body as Armament Haki hardened his fists. The eerie black-and-red Haki made them look all the more formidable.

Bang!

A tremendous impact rang out. Cracks spread visibly across the once-intact ground. Both men were deliberately holding back, but their violent strength still tore up the surface.

"Your strength and Haki have improved a lot!"

Garp was excited. He had always held a pure physical-combat prodigy like Atlas in high regard. To people of his generation, Devil Fruits were external aids; true strength came from oneself. Of course, they did not reject Devil Fruits. They were treasures of the sea that could transform a person's prospects, and not everyone had Atlas's monstrous physical talent.

"People have to grow, old man Garp!"

Atlas grinned with some pride. His arm suddenly swelled, and black-and-red Haki spread over its entire length.

Iron Body Fist: Martial God Arm: Smash!

Countless fists descended on Garp in an instant. The strikes came so densely that the pressure alone was almost suffocating.

"Hahaha! That's more like it!"

Garp answered with his own iron fists. He did not dodge a single blow, meeting every punch head-on.

The moment Atlas's first burst of strength faded, before he could muster the next, Garp stepped forward and drove an iron fist into his chest.

Atlas had expected it and covered his chest with Armament Haki in time, but Garp's punch still sent him flying dozens of meters.

Atlas now possessed a terrifying amount of Armament Haki, and its quality was just as impressive. But coating his entire body would still spread its defensive power thin. Concentrating it where he needed it remained the best choice.

"Hahaha! Now show this old man that strange ability of yours!"

Garp gave Atlas no time to rest. He used Shave and closed in, iron fists swinging.

"Ah, well. Flying Finger Pistol: Explosion!"

A terrifying blast of flame rushed toward Garp. He made no move to dodge. Armament Haki flowed over his body, and an unshakable presence radiated from him.

Boom!

The explosion roared. Garp slowly emerged from the flames and dust. His clothes had been reduced to strips hanging from his body, and his once-black hair had curled slightly. He looked a mess, but Atlas's blast had not injured him!

Atlas could only draw so much power from the Dragon Talisman for now. Against a top-tier fighter like Garp, it was still inadequate. Garp's mastery of Armament Haki was among the best in the world.

"That's quite an ability, brat! Now feel the force of this old man's love!"

Garp grinned fiercely and charged again. His iron fists whipped through the air, and the force of their passage stung Atlas's face.

"Aah!"

A scream rang across the sky. Atlas rubbed his cheek helplessly, then used the Horse Talisman to erase every bruise and swelling in an instant.

"You're getting back at me for wrecking your clothes, aren't you, old man Garp?" Atlas muttered.

"Hahaha... Of course not! This old man just wanted you to feel the force of my love. You've got Conqueror's Haki, after all!"

Garp looked at Atlas's fully healed cheek in surprise. The brat's recovery ability had grown considerably stronger since he had last seen it.

"Speaking of Conqueror's Haki, I still have no idea how to use it properly."

Atlas scratched his head in frustration. Since awakening Conqueror's Haki under Whitebeard's pressure, he had secretly released it a few times. He could now just barely direct it at specific targets.

But he still could not use it to deal physical damage, let alone master the technique of coating himself in Conqueror's Haki.

"Hahaha! Get Sengoku to teach you later. This old man doesn't have Conqueror's Haki!" Garp laughed without a care.

"Vice Admiral Garp! Vice Admiral Tsuru wants to discuss something with you. Commodore Atlas, too!"

Just then, a messenger hurried over and interrupted the conversation between the old man and the young one.

"Tsuru? What does she want with this old man? Is Whitebeard making trouble again?"

Garp muttered in puzzlement, but headed straight for Vice Admiral Tsuru's Staff Office without delay. Atlas hurried after him.

Help Requested

Bang!

"Tsuru, what did you want me for?"

Garp reached the office door and shoved it open, calling out at the top of his lungs. He and Vice Admiral Tsuru had fought side by side since they were young and knew each other inside out. Neither would care about something as small as knocking. Besides, Garp was hardly the sort to knock politely.

"Sit down first," Vice Admiral Tsuru said, giving the boisterous Garp a cool glance. "And what happened to your clothes?"

"Ah, I was giving that brat Atlas a little instruction. Couldn't be bothered to change." Garp picked his nose, utterly unconcerned.

Following behind him, Atlas felt a little awkward. He was the one who had wrecked Garp's clothes.

"Hello, Atlas! We meet again!"

As Atlas stepped out from behind Garp's towering figure, a clear, pleasant voice greeted him.

"Rear Admiral Gion?"

Atlas froze for a moment. He had not expected Gion to be sent to the New World so soon. It seemed an all-out war there was about to erupt.

"You two know each other, Gion?" Vice Admiral Tsuru turned to Gion and asked curiously. As Gion's older sister, she cared a great deal about her love life. Though wasn't Atlas a little young for her?

"I spent some time as a swordsmanship instructor at Headquarters' Recruit Camp, and that's where I met Atlas. He certainly left a deep impression on me!" Gion replied with a smile.

"Hahaha! If you already know each other, there's no need for introductions."

"I called you here for two main reasons. Sengoku phoned with some adjustments to our deployment in the New World. Tokikake and Kuzan should arrive before long. The war is drawing closer, so we need to prepare early."

"Also, keep a close watch on Whitebeard, Big Mom, and the Beasts. Be ready for war at any moment. As for that so-called Pirate Alliance, leave them alone for now. Let them preserve as much of their strength as possible."

Vice Admiral Tsuru picked up the steaming teacup on her desk and took a small sip. "Our actions against the Whitebeard Pirates these past few months have convinced them that we're determined to wipe them out. Those others are getting restless."

"Ah, this old man understands." Garp's expression gradually turned serious. For all his usual foolishness, he knew what mattered when the stakes were high. If the Marines suffered losses because of him, he would have failed the "Justice" at his back.

"And the second reason?" Garp asked.

His question caught Atlas's attention, too. They had summoned both him and Garp, and the first matter had been instructions for Garp. The second was probably about him.

"King Riku of Dressrosa has requested help from the Marines."

"Help? Dressrosa's army should be able to handle ordinary pirate raids, shouldn't it?" Garp asked. A nation capable of holding its ground in the New World would not have a weak standing army.

"According to King Riku's request, an officer of the Big Mom Pirates wants to turn Dressrosa into a dessert-production base dedicated to supplying Big Mom with sweets. Dressrosa is famous for its food and music, after all. We don't yet know which officer it is."

Vice Admiral Tsuru turned to Atlas. "So I'd like you to go to Dressrosa and assess the situation. Dressrosa is a World Government Member State. We Marines have a duty to help it resist a pirate invasion. Besides, we can't let the Big Mom Pirates expand their territory unchecked."

"Ah, leave it to me. I've heard plenty about Dressrosa. I'll treat it as a chance to travel and relax."

Atlas smiled, unconcerned. Among the Big Mom Pirates, only Katakuri struck him as a difficult opponent now. He was not particularly worried about the other officers.

As for Big Mom herself, Atlas figured she was busy having children. Until she turned sixty, Charlotte Linlin was either giving birth or on her way to giving birth. Her strength seemed to grow naturally, without any effort. Of everyone currently known in the pirate world, she might well have had the greatest natural talent.

"Oh, one more thing. I'd like Gion to go with you to Dressrosa. There shouldn't be any large-scale fighting in the near future, and if you encounter someone troublesome, she'll be there as backup."

New World, Totto Land Kingdom, off the coast of Toast Island.

The sea was calm and peaceful, yet an uncanny absurdity hung over it. Sweet aromas filled the air, and the island's buildings took the shapes of strange foods, as though they had stepped out of a fairy tale.

A man stood at Toast Island's port. His hair faded from orange at the bottom to red at the top and rose in three flame-shaped points.

His outfit was strange. He wore nothing on his upper body, baring his muscular chest beneath a yellow cape. Gloves covered his hands, and orange dominated everything he wore, right down to his shoes and socks.

He was Charlotte Oven, Charlotte Linlin's fourth son and a triplet alongside Katakuri and Daifuku. Big Mom's ability to bear children was remarkable: most of her children were twins or triplets.

Oven's destination was Dressrosa. He had heard its desserts were famous, so he had decided on his own to seize the country. It would give the family more territory and provide a way to celebrate the birth of his next brother or sister.

As one of Big Mom's older sons, Oven cared deeply about family bonds. He was protective of his younger siblings, too—provided they were loyal to the family.

The Big Mom Pirates were among the dominant powers of the New World, but pirates did not control all of it. Apart from Marine bases, World Government Member States and unaffiliated nations also held territory there.

Of course, unless an unaffiliated nation was strong enough to stand alone, like Elbaf of the Giant Kingdom, it could not survive in the New World without seeking protection from great pirates like them.

Rushing to Help

New World, G-5 Base harbor.

Atlas and Gion walked to the docks, chatting and laughing along the way.

A standard Marine warship lay quietly moored in the harbor. Neither Gion nor Atlas had a custom warship of their own here, and neither had any objection.

Before long, they boarded one after the other and set out for Dressrosa.

"Commodore Atlas! Rear Admiral Gion!"

The moment they stepped aboard, Marines surged forward, then snapped to attention and saluted. Their faces were solemn, their eyes filled with admiration. They were five hundred elite Marines Vice Admiral Tsuru had selected from G-5 Base. Many had witnessed Atlas's formidable strength in repeated battles against the Whitebeard Pirates.

Many had also been saved by Atlas in those battles, whether deliberately or by chance. They held him in great respect.

Gion, however, was the ranking officer aboard. She had not yet reached the strength she would possess as Momousagi, an Admiral candidate, but she outranked Atlas and had far more experience.

Atlas did not mind who was in command. Gion would not order him around needlessly, and he still had plenty of freedom.

Gion surveyed the deck and gave a slight nod. Then she looked toward the distant sea, her cool voice carrying across the ship.

"Has the adjutant arrived? Count the crew and tell the helmsman to prepare to sail!"

"Reporting, ma'am! Adjutant Bolton, Marine service number—rank: Colonel!" A broad-built officer in a standard Marine cap stepped out of the crowd and reported loudly.

"Good. Count the crew, then raise sail. Destination: Dressrosa!"

Gion waved a hand and walked off with Atlas after giving the order.

"Yes, ma'am!"

The firm reply came from behind them. Marines stationed long-term in the New World were, on the whole, tougher than those in Paradise or the four seas. The New World's weather and conditions were harsher, for one thing, and its powerful fighters were too numerous to count.

Anyone who had fought formidable pirates for years and survived was undoubtedly among the Marines' elite.

New World, Dressrosa Kingdom.

King's Plateau was the site of Dressrosa's royal palace. It was the highest point in the kingdom, a symbol of supreme royal authority and the home of the Riku Royal Family. Unlike other palaces, it made no great display of luxury. From outside, it looked more like an ordinary resort, though high walls surrounded it.

In the palace's main hall, the country's ruler, Riku Doldo III, sat on his throne with a deep frown and a troubled face.

King Riku was powerfully built, with hair that flared outward. His bearing was regal, but the glint in his eyes revealed a shrewd king whose political instincts were not to be underestimated.

"Your Majesty, please don't worry. The Marines have agreed to our request for help."

Army Commander Kyros, standing nearby, could not help trying to reassure him.

"I have asked Vice Admiral Tsuru for help, and the Marines she sent are probably on their way. What worries me is that the Marines have been making so many moves lately that they can spare only limited forces. And the enemy we face is an officer of the Big Mom Pirates," King Riku said.

"Your Majesty, it's my fault. I'm too weak to be of any help to you..." Kyros felt guilty. He was the Dressrosa Kingdom's Army Commander, yet all he could do in the face of an outside threat was wait for Marine assistance. He was also Princess Scarlet's husband, which made him feel he had failed his wife.

"Kyros, don't talk nonsense! You've already carried so much for this country. Besides, we're facing the Big Mom Pirates, a dominant force in the New World and a pirate crew even the Marines fear. You have nothing to blame yourself for."