He seemed to be heading to meet up with Whitebeard.
There were also rumors that he was seeking the Whitebeard Pirates' protection.
To keep Fish-Man Island from being attacked by Roy and the other criminals.
The other Shichibukai were making moves of their own. Doflamingo, Gecko Moria, and the others were all keeping a close eye on the newspapers.
"Kehahaha, those old fossils! If I could turn them into my shadows, wouldn't I be able to get revenge on Kaido?"
"Especially that Roy. His shadow should be pretty strong."
Even Moria had set his sights on Roy, wanting to take his shadow.
In addition, Doflamingo, the Empress, and the others were likewise following the newspapers at all times.
Every move made by powerhouses of this caliber could shake the seas.
Of course, the most excited of all was the World's Greatest Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk.
Roy could unleash slashes comparable to a Great Swordsman's without using a blade. That had piqued his interest.
"Heh, Roy, was it? I never thought I'd see someone unleash Great Swordsman-level slashes without a blade. What a prospect. I hope you won't disappoint me."
He was the World's Greatest Swordsman.
In swordsmanship, apart from a certain one-armed Emperor, there was almost no one he could spar with.
Now Roy had appeared.
He very much wanted to test this powerhouse who had emerged from Impel Down.
Thus, this prison break had thrown the entire sea into utter chaos.
Amid the chaos, everyone turned their eyes toward Marine Headquarters and the World Government, which had remained silent.
If Garp and the others really were missing, their fates unknown, and the Marines and the World Government still made no move, then they could hardly blame them for taking action.
"Kehahaha, wait a little longer. As long as Kuzan and the others really don't show up, it'll be time for us to rise up. It looks like the Marines really have suffered an unprecedented blow."
"Exactly. Why don't we send some men to wreak havoc on a few islands first? If no Marines come, that'll mean they're too busy saving themselves, and it'll be time for us to act."
But they were destined to be disappointed.
Marine Headquarters and the World Government were currently swamped with the aftermath. How could they spare any attention for what these people were thinking?
However, while they appeared silent and inactive on the surface, they had secretly assembled their forces in a stretch of sea outside Water 7.
A new battle was about to erupt there.
In the waters of Water 7.
Roy and his group, who had set this whole chain of events in motion, knew nothing of what was happening across the seas.
Because at that very moment, they were facing a third interception launched by the Marines, Enies Lobby, and even the World Government.
The combined forces assembled by both sides numbered over ten thousand, but both had suffered losses in the previous two clashes. This was now the final battle.
"Calamity Roy, you are the vermin of the sea! You killed Impel Down's jailers and slaughtered Marine soldiers. Such acts are a challenge to justice itself!"
"Today, we will capture you and execute you on the spot!"
Aboard a massive warship, Marine Admiral candidate Chaton held a small megaphone, constantly taunting Roy and the others surrounded in the waters ahead.
There had originally been ten warships behind him. Now only seven remained.
The other three had all been sunk by Roy and the others during the previous two interceptions.
Of the original force of over ten thousand Marine soldiers, fewer than seven thousand remained.
Every one of them stared fixedly at the surrounded group, their eyes bloodshot.
They wanted nothing more than to tear Roy and the others to pieces.
"Hehehe, a bunch of trash that escaped from Impel Down! I am the highest authority on Enies Lobby. Today, by order of the World Government, I have led Cipher Pol here to eliminate you!"
As Chaton finished speaking, Spandam from Enies Lobby also raised a small megaphone and laughed smugly.
"Hehe, you haven't slept well or had a moment's peace these past three days. You've felt our determination to kill you, haven't you?"
"I advise you to surrender at once, or today will be the day you die!"
As his words fell, the Enies Lobby troops, CP Agents, and two deeply concealed Senior CP Agents behind him all stared coldly at Roy's surrounded group.
At that moment, Roy and the others were surrounded again, their escape cut off once more.
"Ugh, you people really are disgusting."
"We've already escaped from Impel Down, but you still won't stop hounding us like hyenas."
Faced with two encirclements, an unsettled Roy let out a sigh.
"What's even more disgusting is that we can't even get a decent night's sleep aboard our warship."
"You keep harassing us with cannon fire, keeping our nerves on edge, and you even deliberately lure Sea Kings into attacking us."
"Sure, hunting down criminals is your job as Marines, but it really is disgusting."
At that, Roy glanced back at the exhausted criminals aboard the warship before finally turning to Chaton and Spandam, his voice icy.
"If you're going to fight, then fight. I've had more than enough of you clingy pests."
"I wouldn't mind making you World Government lackeys suffer heavy losses again today."
As he spoke, Roy's aura gradually erupted, and he took a stance ready for battle at any moment.
The criminals aboard the warship, including Bullet and Red, also prepared for battle.
"Argh, these Marine lunatics just won't get off our backs! Why won't they leave us alone? I can't take it anymore!"
"Yeah, I've had enough already. I'm exhausted and starving.
"Screw it. If they want a fight, let's fight to our hearts' content! Better to fight to the death than keep living in misery like this!"
By now, neither side would stop until the other was dead.
In truth, they had endured a terrible time in these waters over the past three days.
They had suffered several attacks while sailing in particular.
The first time, Marine Admiral candidate Chaton had pursued them from behind with his warships, firing his cannons.
But Chaton and his men had not dared to approach. They could only follow at a distance and harass them from time to time, leaving them utterly drained.
They had also encountered Sea King attacks while sailing.
Once, they had nearly capsized through a moment's inattention.
Fortunately, the Giant Sanjuan Wolf was tough and thick-skinned, and with Bullet and the other criminals helping kill the Sea Kings, they had managed to pull through.
The second time, just as they were about to enter the waters of Water 7, Chaton had feared they would escape and mobilized Enies Lobby's forces to intercept them again.
In that battle, Roy had cleaved three warships apart in a single strike, killing over a thousand men.
The remaining two thousand or so had been killed by Bullet, Red, and the other criminals, who had been unable to hold themselves back.
After winning, they had continued sailing forward, but before long, they encountered the arriving Enies Lobby troops and were surrounded.
That had led to the current standoff between the two sides.
Now, the provocations and harassment from Chaton's Marines and Enies Lobby's forces had pushed the already tense criminals present to the brink of collapse.
Even an old fellow like Red, who had originally had no intention of offending the Marines, felt genuine disgust-utter disgust.
Damn it, they had finally escaped from the hell that was Impel Down.
But what awaited them was not freedom, but pursuit and encirclement.
Anyone would have had enough!
Faced with the criminals' roars, Chaton and the others finally made their move.
"Criminals, don't act like you've been wronged! Today, we fight to the death!"
Boom! Boom!
The familiar cannon barrage came first to pin them down, and shells soon filled the sky over the waters where Roy's group was positioned.
Those who had survived to be here were the best of the best. Even in the New World, they would count as true powerhouses.
Facing the sky full of shells, everyone brought their own abilities into play.
Some redirected them with Devil Fruit powers, some controlled seawater to block them, some coated themselves in Haki for protection, and others shattered the shells with swordsmanship.
But there were simply too many shells.
Enies Lobby's troops had prepared this in advance. Dozens of cannons fired over ten consecutive volleys, creating an onslaught of hundreds of shells.
No matter how good these criminals' defenses were, they were aboard a warship rather than on land. Casualties were ultimately unavoidable.
Crack!
Splash! Splash!
In an instant, the shells struck, and more people were injured.
Even using their abilities to block them, they could not withstand many rounds of bombardment.
But there was nothing they could do for now. They could only wait for the shelling to end before they had a chance to strike back.
Half an hour later, the bombardment finally ended.
A vast stretch of the sea was crimson, the seawater stained red with blood.
A full fifty criminals aboard the warship had failed to withstand the shelling. Every one of them had died.
But the Marines and Enies Lobby did not stop their assault.
Another round of attacks began.
Before you continue