The Situation / White Hound

His feet rapidly transformed into enormous gears, Bernal's face contorted in a ferocious expression as he slammed into Hancock, who was charging towards him.

"Devil Fruit User?"

Although somewhat surprised, Hancock wasn't too surprised. In Paradise, those who could reach a bounty of over 100 million usually possessed some extraordinary abilities, with Devil Fruit Ability being the most common.

Although she hadn't Awakening her Observation Haki for long, she was clearly not easily hit by Bernal. Hancock simply shifted her body slightly, and Bernal, unable to stop, crashed directly into the fence!

Bang!

Hancock seized the opportunity and unleashed a powerful side kick!

Perfume Femur!

Bang!

Bernal reacted quickly, raising his right arm to block in front of him. Even with such a powerful kick, he caught it steadily without his arm showing any signs of petrification.

"Hehe, I'm Gear Human ate the Gear-Gear Fruit!"

Bernal laughed arrogantly. His entire body was like a sophisticated gear, providing him with enormous kinetic energy, so even in a moment of haste, he could unleash tremendous power.

"What Gear-Gear Fruit? I'll make you fall head over heels for my beauty!"

Hancock remained completely calm. Although it was her first time at sea, as the new Empress of Amazon Lily, she had to utterly defeat her enemies, because... she was the perfect Empress!!

Armament Haki enveloped her, turning her feet pitch black. As the Empress of Amazon Lily, with its complete Haki, she naturally mastered the use of Armament Haki.

Hancock leaped into the air, using the momentum of her fall to perform a three-kick spinning maneuver!

"Perfume Femur - Armament!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The positioning was precise; every kick landed squarely on the same spot in Bernal's body. Bernal felt an even heavier force than before, and his arm, which had only been slightly numb, instantly turned to stone.

Then... it ruptured!

What the hell is this?

Bernal was horrified, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Having lost an arm, his fighting ability was naturally greatly reduced, and his fate was self-evident.

In Holy Land Mary Geoise, within the Pangaea Castle, Room of Authority.

In the bright and spacious office, the Five Elders reunited in a relaxed atmosphere.

"The Kuja Pirates' Empress defeated a notorious Pirates with a bounty exceeding 100 million on her very first voyage, and the World Government wants to invite her to become Shichibukai."

Saint Dexter, with his white hair and black hat, spoke.

After a moment's hesitation, the bald, bespectacled man, Saint Nazzaro, reminded him, "Are you sure the Kuja Pirates are willing to become Shichibukai? I've heard that their new Empress is quite hostile towards the World Government."

"Hmph! That's not up to her; the Calm Belt can't be their protective barrier."

"It's a yellow-haired Saint Alberic," he said coldly.

With Vegapunk's help, the Calm Belt has long been conquered by the World Government. Both the power problem and the Sea Kings attacks have been perfectly resolved. If Amazon Lily doesn't know what's good for it, then it will have to be wiped out.

"Alright, then inform Sengoku to set her bounty at 80 million, and then the World Government will issue an invitation to Shichibukai."

"Eighty million? Isn't that too little? Not enough to deter other Pirates?"

"After all, this is the first time a bounty has been offered, but the record of defeating Pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million speaks for itself. I believe those Pirates will know better."

"Okay, but..."

Saint Nazzaro spoke again, "That Hawkeye Swordsman, Jora Mihawk, volunteered to become Shichibukai and even sent several heads to the Navy."

"Sure, the position of Shichibukai has been vacant for too long. We failed to invite Moria a while ago."

Chapter 192 Situation

The New World.

A colossal Azure Dragon stood atop fiery clouds, its abyss-like maw constantly spewing forth Flame Breath. Opposite it stood Garp, a burly naval hero with half-white hair and beard!

"Hey! You bastard Garp, get out of my way!"

The enormous Azure Dragon spoke in human language, its already ferocious face becoming even more savage.

"Hahaha! You'll have to ask my fists for permission to pass through here, Kaido!"

Garp laughed heartily, completely disregarding Kaido's boastful words.

Seeing that negotiations failed, Kaido had no choice but to resort to force. He also wanted to test the strength of this former naval hero, since the other party was already one of the world's strongest when he was just an apprentice Pirates.

"Bolo Breath!!!"

High-temperature dragon flames spewed from Kaido's giant mouth, scorching and distorting the air in their path, and the scorching heat wave surged toward Garp.

"Fist Bone - Meteorite!"

Garp laughed heartily, his Armament Haki instantly coiling around him, and he charged forward using Geppo!

The overwhelming Bolo Breath seemed to be sliced in half by a sharp blade. Garp's fist, like a legendary fire-repelling bead, produced a piercing air explosion that seemed to tear the sky apart, shattering the sweltering Bolo Breath!

Bang!

Compared to Kaido's enormous size, Garp's fist appeared rather small, but when the dark fist touched Kaido's jaw, the surging power and bone-deep Haki will seemed to irresistibly pierce into Kaido's head.

Aww--!!!

Kaido pain, his gaping maw instantly forced shut, his menacing fangs even cracking slightly, and his entire dragon body uncontrollably tumbling backward.

Garp's moves are all prefixed with 'Fist Bone,' which shows just how hard Garp's fists are—hard to the bone.

"That really hurts! Typical Garp!"

Finally managing to stop, Kaido subconsciously shook his aching head and looked at Garp not far away with a look of fear, as if recalling the powerful figure of his captain, Rocks, who had blocked his path decades ago.

But...

"Roar--!!"

Kaido roared to the sky, "I am Kaido of the Beasts!!"

He then shook his head, transformed into his Zoan-Hybrid Form, and charged forward again, engaging Garp in a fierce battle.

Thump thump thump--!!

"Please come in!"

Click!

Atlas pushed open the door and entered. He had just been teaching Swordsmanship in the Recruit Camp. After a few days of guidance, Ain was only a step away from the Iron-Cutting Realm. Unexpectedly, he was suddenly summoned, Sengoku needed to find him.

Sengoku squinted and leaned back in his office chair, rubbing his temples with a slight headache. Upon hearing the knock on the door, his expression turned solemn, and he straightened up, gesturing for Atlas to find a place to sit.

"What's wrong? You look so worried, old man from the Sengoku."

Atlas said this half-jokingly, trying to ease the somewhat tense atmosphere.

"Your flagship has been modified. Go and inspect it later; it was built exactly according to your specifications."

Instead of directly answering Atlas's question, Sengoku changed the subject to the Thriller Bark.

Atlas understood; was he being led to the New World?

So he asked tentatively, "Has something happened in the New World?"

Only under such circumstances would Sengoku be so worried and urge Atlas to go to the New World to take up his post as soon as possible.

"That's right, the Cipher Pol's spy sent to the Beasts Pirates has been discovered. He's already started planning his escape, but Kaido has finally realized what's happening. You're expected to be intercepted by that Kaido at G-5 base, so you need to hurry to the New World. Otherwise, not only will the Five Elders hold you accountable, but G-5 base will also be destroyed."

There is currently no Vice Admiral stationed at G-5 base. If Kaido were to arrive, without top-tier combatants to restrain him, the entire base would be powerless to stop him.

"Francis?"

Atlas vaguely remembered him. During the New World a few years ago, he was sent to the Totto Land Waters and was specifically instructed to leave a hole in the fishing net so that Francis could escape. Later, he heard that this guy became one of the Three Calamities of the Beasts Pirates.

It seems the Cipher Pol's agent training isn't rigorous enough; Kaido discovered their undercover identity after only a few years.

That makes sense. Among the three great emperors of the sea, only the Whitebeard Pirates, whose bond is based on kinship, do not have such a tight intelligence network within their territory as the other two Pirates crews. Big Mom's Totto Land Island is a prime example, as the unique nature of the Soul-Soul Fruit makes the entire Totto Land her eyes and ears.

While Kaido's Beasts Pirates don't have the same all-encompassing surveillance as the Big Mom Pirates, Kaido's secretary and the Beasts Pirates' pillar, Bao Huang, can indeed monitor certain areas of Onigashima using some special methods.

"Wait! Where's Garp? Isn't he at G-3 base?"

Atlas was puzzled. Garp's base, G-3, should theoretically be the closest to Kaido's territory. If Garp intercepted him, there was no reason why Kaido could catch up to G-5 base.

"... After one battle, Kaido's Devil Fruit was too troublesome. Garp couldn't catch up, otherwise Francis wouldn't have been able to reach G-5 base."

This is why Sengoku urged Atlas to go to the New World as soon as possible. He knew that this guy had the same abilities as Golden Lion, and in terms of mobility, only Kizaru could rival him in the Marine Headquarters.

As for the life of that CP Agent, Sengoku didn't care much. The main problem was Kaido, who had been lured there by Francis. One wrong move and a Marine Base would be destroyed.

"Alright, I understand. I'll head to the New World right away."

Atlas understood the seriousness of the situation and immediately got up and left Sengoku's office.

Although the New World is vast, even Kaido, who possesses the ability to fly, would not be able to catch up to the G-5 base in a short time after being restrained by Garp. But it's better to be safe than sorry.

Atlas didn't want to wait until he arrived at G-5 base to find it devastated and in ruins.

Marineford Port

Given the sheer size of the Thriller Bark, it was impossible for it to be properly moored in the harbor. So Atlas levitated it in mid-air and used a large number of rocks to create a floating staircase, providing access for the modified crew.

So the spectacular sights that have been happening up and down these past few days have been a beautiful sight on the Marine Headquarters, but obviously we can't see them today, as the major overhaul of the Thriller Bark is basically complete.

Chapter 193 The White Hou

Soon, Atlas saw the completely transformed Thriller Bark.

The overall shape of the ship has not changed much, except for the addition of a power system at the stern. After all, Atlas cannot control the ship's direction at all times, so the ship's power system and bridge have been adapted and adjusted.

On the ship, the most eye-catching feature is undoubtedly the bow, where a huge Illusory Beast called "Hou" roars to the sky. Its horns resemble those of a deer, its head a camel, its ears a cat, its hair a lion, its front paws an eagle, and its hind paws a tiger. It looks majestic and awe-inspiring. Its entire body is made of an unknown alloy, which is bright Silver White and combines beauty with majesty.

The ship's architecture was also completely rebuilt according to Atlas's requirements. The original decoration style of the Thriller Bark was Gothic castle-like, so he naturally had to renovate it. Perhaps Moria's personal aesthetic was like this, otherwise Perona, whom he raised, would not have always dressed in a Gothic style.

It was built entirely according to the standards of a typical Marine Base. In addition to Atlas's personal villa residence, there was a training room made entirely of special alloy for his use in training, as well as a spacious Training Ground for his soldiers to conduct daily training when on missions.

Sengoku even expanded Atlas's troop strength because of this flagship. If a typical Vice Admiral's troops consist of a thousand or so ordinary naval soldiers, then Atlas had a total of more than two thousand, clearly intending to have him build an airborne naval legion!

"White Hou, let me personally show you around the new ship."

The person in charge of this ship modification was a middle-aged man who served in the Navy's Science Unit, but he was not a pure scientific researcher; he did administrative work, so coordinating with Atlas was also part of his job.

"No need, after all, I was also involved in some of the renovation work."

Atlas waved his hand in refusal. Such a large-scale project could not possibly be completed by the Science Unit alone, but Atlas, with his Chicken Talisman abilities, was a different story.

In the blink of an eye, mountains, Sea Cloud are all within one's grasp.

Moreover, with Atlas's powerful Observation Haki, it would be very easy for him to quickly familiarize himself with the new ship.

"Then... how about Vice Admiral White Hou rename it? The Thriller Bark sounds a bit awful."

"Let's name it after my codename, White Hou. Simple and clear."

The New World.

High in the sky, the once majestic Azure Dragon now appeared somewhat disheveled. Its whiskers were tattered and broken, and its massive body was covered in craters of varying sizes that were slowly healing. There were still traces of blood on its menacing lower jaw, and as its gaping maw opened and closed, faint curses could be heard.

"Damn Garp, and that damn Francis, how dare they betray the Beasts Pirates!"

Kaido was now seething with anger and nowhere to vent it. In his drunken state, he suddenly heard a report from the Bao Huang that Francis had actually defected to the Beasts Pirates. Fueled by his drunkenness, he shouted that he would personally go and hunt down the traitor.

However, he didn't expect to be intercepted by Garp halfway there and get a severe beating. Although he was thick-skinned and not seriously injured, Garp's punches really hurt!

Although Bao Huang had previously suspected some of Francis's actions and reported them to Kaido was, after all, a Pirates who valued talent. As long as Francis did not explicitly betray him, he would not take any action against him.

It must be said that even if some of the agents trained by the World Government are not very capable, their indoctrination is very thorough. Even though he was in the Pirates headquarters, Francis did not have any thoughts of betraying the World Government. He truly deserves to be the man who was chosen to join CP0.

But...

Kaido grinned maliciously.

"You can't escape the New World, Francis!"