Sengoku and Zephyr are truly old and frail; they have the fighting power but can't hold out for long. Asking them to hold off the tireless Seraphim is no different from sending them to their deaths!
Sengoku, unaware of Garp's situation, assumed the old man was as frail as they were, and thus refused outright. They weren't going to sell their lives to the World Government now; wouldn't it be better to keep them and enjoy their final years?
If it's for justice, they're willing to fight to the death, but fighting as henchmen and lackeys is impossible!
They came along partly to support the Navy and partly to watch the show, but upon arriving and seeing the Five Elders shifting blame, they knew they couldn't intervene. Their excuse was simply that they were too old and their eyesight was failing, and they didn't want to hurt their own people!
"Hmph! Sakazuki! What are you waiting for? The Rebel Army leaders are all here, why don't you hurry up and wipe them all out? Since Sengoku and the others are old and can't fight anymore, aren't there still me and the other Five Elders here?"
The Five Elders naturally saw through Sengoku's thoughts and knew that the old guys weren't as bad as Sengoku made them out to be!
The fact that these old guys can keep up with the young men and not fall behind, and that they're not even panting after arriving here, speaks volumes. Even many middle-aged Vice Admiral are panting heavily from traveling so fast, yet they're showing no signs of fatigue. If they can't fight, who can?
However, with a major battle imminent, Saint Mars is unwilling to openly confront them and break off relations. The old guys are already in a semi-retired state; they could have chosen not to come. But since they're here, they can't push the enemy too far. Garp is the father of that Revolutionary Army leader, and if things go wrong, it could all be over!
"Let's wait a bit, someone else is coming, and it's pirates again!"
Akainu didn't want to fight the Revolutionary Army. He was already alienated from the World Government because of Vic's memory implantation, and he had just been framed by the Five Elders. He was already very unhappy!
He had already considered this before he came: if the situation with the World Government was not good, he would turn around and take action against the World Government!
Now only three of the Five Elders remain, and CP0 seems to have been completely wiped out. They still want Akainu as a henchman? Dream on!
If he hadn't wanted to play it safe, he would have already ordered an attack on the Five Elders. However, Ryokugyu was a major threat, and the World Government might also have some trump cards up its sleeve. So Akainu didn't act rashly but instead stalled for time. Just then, the aura of pirates approached, and he refused to make a move no matter what!
"Hahaha! What a lively scene! The Marines, the Revolutionary Army, Kaido, and Big Mom are all here! Even the Five Elders are here! Where's Straw Hat Boy? Where is he?"
As soon as Akainu finished speaking, a pile of rubble on the other side of the battlefield suddenly vanished into thin air. Then, in the instant the pile of rubble disappeared, a large group of people suddenly appeared there!
The one who burst out laughing was none other Kid, the captain of the Kid Pirates, who had lost an arm and was standing at the very front of the crowd!
Standing next to Kid is Trafalgar Law, Kikoku is carrying a long sword on his shoulder and making a strange gesture. Behind them are the executives of their respective pirate crews!
While sailing at sea, Kid kept saying he wouldn't form alliances, but after arriving at Lodestar Island, he finally allied with Law under immense pressure from several forces in the valley!
Despite this, Kid wouldn't admit defeat. Even though there were many strong people here, he believed he was no less capable now. In the past seven or eight years of training, he had mastered everything and dared to fight anyone!
In addition, Law had already analyzed it for him before. The Revolutionary Army and the World Government are mortal enemies, and the Navy will likely side with the World Government. So, as long as they side with the Revolutionary Army, they should be fine and there shouldn't be any problems.
Regardless of which side Kaido or Big Mom is on, they both have room to maneuver. Moreover, Law has the ability to teleport people, making it easier for them to escape!
So after persuading Kid, Law used this ability to teleport everyone to the edge of the battlefield, which could be considered a performance to gain Kid's trust. Akainu silently gave them a thumbs up in his heart!
Law's analysis was correct, but he overlooked an important piece of information: the father-son relationship between Dragon and Luffy. Furthermore, Kid's recklessness revealed their intentions in a single sentence!
Although Dragon and Garp heard it clearly, they ignored it. At least the people who came were pirates who were hostile to the World Government. With Kaido and Big Mom beside them, Dragon was confident that he could bring these two groups together to deal with the Marines and the Five Elders!
" Trafalgar Law, Kid! It's you? You're here to help the Straw Hat Pirates? I heard that in Wano Country, it was the three of you who allied to defeat Kaido and Big Mom? Are you going to repeat the same tactics now?"
Although Akainu wanted to take on the World Government, he also disliked pirates. He wished he could have Kid, Law, Kaido, and Big Mom fight to the death, so he deliberately brought up the Wano Country incident!
While pirates also hate the World Government, they probably hate the Navy the most, because the Navy is the main force fighting pirates and is the frontline personnel directly facing them!
Therefore, Akainu suspects that in the upcoming battle, these pirates will prioritize attacking their Marines, leaving the Five Elders to be dealt with by the Revolutionary Army. So, he thinks it's better to sow discord first, since Akainu is very good at this kind of thing!
"Rororororo! My only enemy is the World Government. Everyone else, don't mess with me!"
Kaido's goal is clear: to target the World Government. Right now, the only people belonging to the World Government here are the Five Elders; even the Navy can only be considered the World Government's henchmen!
Kaido doesn't care about his henchmen; he only wants to kill the master who rules the World Government. As for the grudges he formed with Law and the others in Wano Country, he doesn't care. He doesn't even hold a grudge against the Straw Hat Boy who defeated him!
"Mamamamama! Kaido! Remember what you said before? I'll trust you one last time. After I help you take down the Five Elders, you have to help me!"
Big Mom knew the situation was becoming increasingly complicated, and that keeping an eye on the Five Elders with Kaido was the right thing to do, so that she and Kaido could still be allies!
After this is all over, Kaido will help her again. Then she can deal with Kid and Law, and of course, the Straw Hat Boy. She really wants the One Piece!
Another point is that there are only three of the Five Elders left. She and Kaido can hold off two of them, Dragon should be able to take down one soon. Then she will lead the Revolutionary Army to fight the Marines. Kid and Law will also follow and fight the Marines. She doesn't need to put in much effort to wait for the post-war settlement!
" Akainu Fleet Admiral! We're pirates! Even if we're going to fight, we'll take out your Marines and the Five Elders first! We're not that stupid!"
Law has always been one of the smartest pirates, and he easily picked up on the provocation in Akainu's words.
Although they came for the One Piece, Luffy hasn't appeared yet. Before that, he doesn't mind joining forces with the Revolutionary Army, Kaido Big Mom to take down their destined enemies, the Marines and the World Government!
Even if he wanted to steal the One Piece, he wanted to do it within the pirate forces, where the chances of taking advantage of the chaos would be greater!
With the inherent relationship between the Five Elders and the Navy, it's not necessary to explain too clearly; the Revolutionary Army, Law, Kid, Kaido, and Big Mom naturally united!