Illusion

Lofan's name spread across the world, for he was only eighteen years old.

Yet he had captured Jack the Drought alive-one of the three All-Stars serving Kaido, the Emperor hailed as the Strongest Creature.

Everyone looked doubtfully at the newspaper's contents. This was Drought, one of the three All-Stars!

Captured alive?! How was that possible?! What kind of monster was this boy?! Or was this false information from the Navy? But that seemed impossible too!

Then came the information gathered by various parties, along with the newspaper's follow-up reports.

Apparently, he had accomplished this feat alone, on his way to take up his post at Marineford.

But more people were looking forward to seeing a clash erupt between Kaido and the Navy.

The being known as the Strongest Creature would surely act. Otherwise, he would not be the king of beasts.

Onigashima, Wano Country

"Damn brat! I'll go slaughter him myself!!!"

Kaido's furious presence sent the black hair behind him thrashing like frenzied snakes.

His enormous spiked club destroyed most of the buildings, only for him to suddenly cover his face, drink, and burst into tears.

"It's all my fault for sending you to find Doflamingo! Boo-hoo-hoo!!!"

The waves of his roaring voice forced some of the weaker pirates to their knees, clutching their ears.

But the sound soon stopped. Kaido hefted his spiked club, revealing a savage expression.

"I'm going to bring Jack back. And that brat Lofan-I'm going to kill him once and for all!"

Kaido boarded a pirate ship alone and headed for Marineford.

The remaining two All-Stars did not stop him. They firmly believed in Kaido's strength.

What they needed to do was not stop their captain, but work out how to accomplish his goal.

Dressrosa

Doflamingo stared at the report in disbelief. He had been waiting for Jack's arrival, only to receive news of his capture instead.

"Fuffuffuffu!!! Things are getting more and more interesting!"

Doflamingo picked up a Den Den Mushi and contacted Vergo.

"Vergo, take a good look into Vice Admiral Lofan. But remember, don't confront him directly. You'll die. Fuffuffuffu!"

Without waiting for a reply, Doflamingo hung up. He had seen a new situation taking shape. Next, he would enjoy the show Lofan himself had set in motion.

"What exactly are you after...?"

Doflamingo sank into thought. He believed Lofan had a deeper purpose.

He wanted to get involved. A partnership had a leading party and a subordinate one, but the two sides could not differ too greatly in weight.

Otherwise, the weaker side was destined to be swallowed.

"Hancock, help me contact Big Mom."

"You contacted me after all this time, only to ask for another woman?!!"

The shrill pitch made Lofan frown slightly, but there was nothing he could do. He sighed and continued:

"Because you're the only one who can help me..."

"Hm?! O-of course! I'll definitely help you!"

Hancock's eyes filled with delighted surprise, her clear pupils brimming with love as her face instantly turned crimson.

Whenever Lofan runs into trouble, he thinks of me first. Yes, he must love me. After all, I'm so beautiful!

Her lovestruck look made both her younger sisters press their hands to their foreheads, unable to look directly at her.

"Then when will you come to see me?"

"On the island where you arrange to meet them. Be careful to hide your movements. I'll let you know the details later."

With that, Lofan could hardly wait to hang up.

When he had first arrived in this world, his first meeting with Hancock had indeed left him stunned by her beauty. Calling her a heavenly beauty was entirely fitting.

So he had done something sleazy that almost any man would do.

Using his foreknowledge of the plot, he had resolved the three sisters' psychological troubles, earned Hancock's affection, and thus established a good relationship with her.

Now he truly regretted his actions. After all, he had initially acted only out of curiosity, lust, and a desire to meddle.

It had not been out of genuine kindness or genuine love.

Yet Hancock seemed to have found someone she could rely on in this world. Her feelings truly made him ashamed.

And whenever he recalled their first meeting...

Hancock had spoken with one hand on her hip and the other pointing at people, her head tilted back at an utterly incredible angle.

Rather than feeling that she looked down on all living beings, he had found the sight incredibly embarrassing.

Even with Aizen's state of mind, it had been somewhat hard to bear.

Then Lofan straightened his clothes and put on that familiar smile again.

He went out to attend Marineford's highest-level meeting.

The meeting's central issue was how to respond to Kaido's attack!

That was a fact requiring no deliberation. Kaido would definitely come. Otherwise, he would not be the man known as the Strongest Creature.

"Preparations are underway to transfer Jack to Impel Down. Although the information has been tightly controlled, the suddenness of the incident has made it impossible to handle everything perfectly."

After explaining most of the current situation, Sengoku went straight to the point.

"Vice Admiral Lofan will most likely be Kaido's primary target. Otherwise, his reputation as an Emperor will be gone. How should the Navy respond?"

"Hmph! In that case, let's finish him off at Marineford once and for all!"

Akainu had long been dissatisfied with the Navy's current strategy of avoiding the enemy's strongest edge. As far as pirates were concerned, he had only one thought: eradicate them completely!

Thus, he had an extremely favorable impression of Lofan. Anyone else would certainly have had countless reservations when facing Jack, weighing every consideration.

But Lofan had simply captured him alive, perfectly aligning with Akainu's absolute justice.

"Oh, what a frightening idea."

He was the Admiral named Kizaru, who was always saying things were frightening.

He always wore an indifferent expression. As for this man whom people jokingly described as:

"Pay him right, and he'll wreck the Four Emperors; give him full benefits and a pension, and he'll take down the Five Elders"-Lofan actually found him the hardest to read.

Everyone seemed to think Kizaru was muddling through. He might even be Luffy's uncle, and probably moonlighted as a kindergarten principal.

Yet he commanded the Navy's Science Unit, above which stood Dr. Vegapunk, the Celestial Dragons' treasure, someone even Kong found difficult to access.

No one spoke after that. Aokiji had always been a man of few words, watching coldly from the sidelines and calling his approach lazy justice.

A sleep bubble hung from Garp's nose. Tsuru studied the report as usual, seemingly deep in thought, and remained silent.

Sengoku sighed softly. It was always like this... Anyone who did not know better might think the Navy's greatest fighting forces were all slackers.

"The key isn't how Kaido acts, but the outcome of the Navy's actions."

Lofan suddenly spoke. The others looked at him with interest, and Sengoku nodded for him to continue.

"We need to use this clash to make every pirate understand one thing again: the seas will always belong to the Navy!"

"Kaido will inevitably come looking for me alone, because he needs to intimidate the New World.

Making him leave empty-handed will be our victory. The remaining All-Stars will definitely go to rescue Jack.

As long as we successfully escort him into Impel Down, we'll win another round."

"If the Beasts Pirates fail to achieve either objective, can they still maintain their current prestige as an Emperor's crew?

The Navy, meanwhile, will use this clash to restore its prestige with justice that reigns over the world."

"So I'll leave Marineford and draw Kaido's attention in a high-profile manner. I'll leave the rest to all of you."

The atmosphere changed, and solemnity settled over the meeting room. If they followed Lofan's approach, the Navy would indeed emerge as the greatest beneficiary.

But the key was whether Lofan could stand up to Kaido.

The Navy's strategy of keeping a low profile and building strength stemmed from the deadlock surrounding the Four Emperors. They seemed to rule separately, but if the Navy dared attack one, the others would inevitably intervene.

Likewise, the price of any one of the Four Emperors fighting to the death was more than the Navy could accept.

For no other reason than that a single Emperor's strength in a fight to the death was enough to destroy years of the Navy's efforts.

Ever since becoming Fleet Admiral, Sengoku had never intended to bring the conflict into the open-at least, not now.

But who could have imagined that Jack would be captured alive?

Since what was done was done, Sengoku was no weakling either. He had already prepared for the worst: all-out war.

After all, the Navy was a top power that had held sway over the seas for eight hundred years. It could not disregard its deterrent power entirely.

Yet Lofan's idea was now even more worth putting into practice.

The only question was how Lofan would handle Kaido's pursuit. Though he was not weak, his opponent was Kaido, after all.

The Strongest Creature, who claimed to want death yet had never truly died.

"I imagine all you're worried about is whether I'm capable of handling Kaido. In that case..."

Lofan drew Illusion, held it in a reverse grip with its tip pointing down, and said:

"Illusion."

As blue light reflected off the blade, a faint ringing sounded.

Lofan's figure vanished completely from the meeting room.

Then Kaido's enormous spiked club smashed straight into the meeting room.

His frenzied presence rushed toward them, his booming laughter deafening.

Everyone instantly entered a combat stance. The Three Admirals transformed into their elements, while Garp's sleep bubble burst and he stood tall, his fists pitch-black.

Tsuru instead stepped back, narrowing her eyes as she fixed her gaze on that enormous, oppressive figure. Sengoku's right hand transformed directly into that of a golden Buddha Form, radiating brilliant light.

Though the sudden development was unusual, it could not shake these mightiest combatants.

Yet their minds still raced. Why had Lofan disappeared, while Kaido had broken into Marineford without even the slightest warning?!

But that presence could not be faked. Kaido had actually charged straight into Marineford at this very moment!

Just as battle was about to erupt, Lofan's gentle voice sounded once more:

"Shatter, Illusion."