Not far away.
Wilton crashed to the ground as well. After leaving behind a massive crater, he stretched his limbs and walked out of the dust completely unharmed.
"Cough, cough, cough~"
"Why is this guy here?"
Luffy and the others climbed up from the ground. When they saw Wilton emerge from the smoke and dust, their expressions changed drastically, and they could not help feeling afraid.
"Luffy, we need to run."
Nami's first thought was to flee. The shadow this man had cast over them was simply too deep.
Crack—
The air exploded.
A whip lashed across them. Zoro swiftly drew his sword to block it, but he still staggered back several steps, his right hand gripping the sword trembling slightly.
"Mmnnngh, I'm Little Sadi, and I just love interrogations. I can't let pirates like you escape."
Sadi swung her long whip, dragging out her nasal voice as she became inexplicably excited. Combined with that SM outfit, she was obviously a pervert.
Immediately afterward.
Four enormous beasts stood behind Sadi, while another group of Marines was rushing over from nearby. Before long, this place would be surrounded.
"What do we do?"
Nami's palms were slick with cold sweat. That woman clearly was not simple, and the four upright beasts behind her struck fear into her heart.
The savage aura radiating from them alone made her calves tremble.
Just look at those spiked clubs, thicker and longer than her entire body. One blow might be enough to kill her, without even giving her a chance to cry.
"Be careful. That woman and those four monsters are strong."
Zoro and Sanji assumed fighting stances. Usopp shakily pulled out his slingshot, while Luffy's face turned grave.
Chopper swallowed hard, his little legs trembling uncontrollably. He could sense even more clearly how terrifying the four Jailer Beasts were.
"Major General Wilton, why are you here?"
Smoker flew out of the restaurant. He was surprised to see Wilton walking out of the dust, but he also breathed a sigh of relief.
Now, not only would the Straw Hat Pirates be unable to escape, Fire Fist Ace would not be getting away either.
"I was passing through. I didn't expect to run into such a big fish."
"Fire Fist Ace, Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. His bounty is 550 million Berries."
Wilton answered casually, then fixed his gaze on Ace, whose expression had turned uncertain.
"What?"
"550 million Berries?"
Usopp and the others gaped in disbelief, stunned by that bounty. They had guessed that Luffy's brother was strong, but they had not expected his bounty to be so outrageous.
550 million Berries was an astronomical figure beyond anything they could imagine.
"A dumbbell engraved with the word justice, a duckbill cap, a tight vest, workout shorts... You're Marine Rear Admiral Wilton."
Ace looked Wilton up and down.
The fearlessness and sense of justice radiating from him made his identity unmistakable.
During his pursuit of Teach, Ace had heard of this Marine Rear Admiral on the Grand Line. He was said to fight fiercely, and his traits were unmistakable.
Besides his dumbbell weapon, there was his attire and that aura of fearless courage.
Rumor had it that he was a capable officer under Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Dalmatian. Not long ago, he had fought the World's Most Evil Man in Loguetown, East Blue.
The Marines had published news reports about it, naturally to promote the Marines' spirit of justice. They had always publicized reports with such positive effects on a massive scale.
Wilton was not the first Marine to enjoy such benefits. Before him, there had been many, many others.
Some had merely been low-ranking Marines, while others had been officers. So long as it was positive and beneficial to the Marines' image, it had almost always made the papers.
Besides improving the Marines' public image, the benefit of doing this was that it could intimidate pirates and criminals while attracting more civilians to join the Marines.
Naturally, there were downsides as well. The Marines featured in those reports could easily become stepping stones for pirates seeking fame, but that was also a test and tempering.
Overall, the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.
So Wilton's reputation was actually quite resounding now. To put it bluntly, he had to thank the contrast provided by his battle against the World's Most Evil Man in Loguetown.
"Sadi, Minotauros, Minotaur Rhino, Minotaur Koala, Minotaur Zebra, Smoker."
"You handle the Straw Hat Pirates. Leave Fire Fist Ace to me. Today, none of them are getting away."
Wilton could not be bothered wasting words on people like Ace and Luffy.
In the eyes of people like them, so-called freedom and dreams were built on the suffering of others. Only Impel Down and death were the best destinations for them.
This world was already rotten to the core. The only way forward was to tear it down and reshuffle everything.
And he would take it upon himself to become the leader who changed the world and united it under one rule.
To fulfill this ambition.
He would charge forward without hesitation and embrace Self-Sacrifice!
"Yes."
At Wilton's command, Sadi, Smoker, and the four Jailer Beasts all turned serious, then rushed together toward Luffy and the others.
After the battle in Loguetown.
Smoker admired Wilton from the bottom of his heart. Wilton also held the highest rank at the scene, so Smoker gave him face this time and followed his orders.
Besides, he had come here to capture the Straw Hat Pirates in the first place.
This was bad.
Ace's heart sank, and anxiety appeared on his face. Whether it was Smoker, that perverted woman with the whip, or the four violent beasts, none of them were opponents Luffy's group could handle right now.
He could fully sense the gap between both sides.
"Luffy, get out of here!"
"Fire Fist."
Raging flames ignited.
Ace clenched his fist and punched toward Smoker, Sadi, and the four Jailer Beasts from afar. The entire space seemed to crack and scorch as a gigantic flaming fist tore through the air, unstoppable and deafening.
This move was fast, wide-ranging, and unbelievably powerful.
More importantly, it was wrapped in Haki.
Ace was getting serious. He was buying time for Luffy and the others to escape.
"Dumbbell Impact."
Wilton rapidly appeared in front of Sadi and the others. Raising his dumbbell high with his right hand, he swung it down with all his strength, unleashing a dumbbell shockwave more than five hundred meters long that surged forward with unstoppable force.
Bang—
A mass of flames splashed in every direction. The hard, thick street split apart and collapsed, while the surrounding buildings erupted into blazing fires.
Wilton's feet sank deep into the ground as he was pushed backward, his right hand trembling slightly.
It had to be said that Ace was very strong at this stage. Wilton was not absolutely certain he could defeat him, but he could keep dragging things out.
"Lord Wilton."
Sadi's face flushed red, as if stars were about to shine from her eyes. Then she became crazily excited, gripping her whip as she coated it in Armament Haki and charging toward Luffy like a pervert consumed by desire.
"Moan! Scream! Please me!"
"Today, no one can save you."
"Moo!"
"White Fist."
The four Jailer Beasts and Smoker attacked as well. For a moment, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper nearly had their souls scared out of them.
"Nami, Sanji, Zoro, Chopper, Usopp, split up and run. Then meet in the capital."
Luffy also felt pressure unlike anything he had ever experienced.
Fortunately, Vivi had separated from them. Otherwise, today...
Over here.
Wilton attacked first as well, immediately unleashing Explosive Double Axes and pressing down on Ace like Mount Tai.
"Get lost."
"Fire Fist."
Ace flew into a rage and launched another Fire Fist straight at Wilton. This time, he went all out.
Before you continue