*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The sound of cannon fire echoed continuously!
A fleet of neatly arranged Marine warships was bombarding the Going Merry in relentless pursuit.
Luffy and his crew were doing everything they could to protect the ship.
But as time passed, their movements became increasingly strained.
At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before the Going Merry was blown to pieces.
On the ten warships stood five Vice Admirals.
Each of them wore a cold, stern expression as they gazed at Luffy and his crew ahead.
Judging from the current situation, it wouldn’t take long before the warships caught up to them.
Once that happened, these Vice Admirals would overwhelm them, leaving no room for resistance.
“Luffy! What do we do?! the Merry is going to fall apart!”
Usopp shouted anxiously while continuously firing rounds at the enemy!
Luffy, who was inflating himself like a massive balloon, showed a hint of urgency on his face upon hearing Usopp’s words.
If this continued, they were truly done for!
What should they do?
Was this really the end for everyone?
As he was deep in thought—
Suddenly, a cannonball whizzed right through the space under his arm!
Luffy’s face changed drastically!
His stamina was running dangerously low.
This time, his inflation was slightly smaller than usual!
*Boom!*
The cannonball struck directly against the Merry’s mast!
*Creak*
A harsh, grating noise followed.
The Going Merry was already in a battered state.
And after this hit, it was clear that the ship wouldn’t last much longer!
The mast wobbled unsteadily.
Three seconds later, it completely tilted to one side!
Luffy and the others wanted to rush over and support it, but there was simply no time!
If the mast fell into the sea, the Merry would be unable to sail!
With no other choice, Luffy turned and lunged toward the mast.
But as soon as he left, the front line collapsed instantly.
Countless cannonballs rained down uncontrollably.
Zoro and the others were doing everything they could.
But there were just too many attacks slipping through.
The deafening roars of explosions rang out one after another.
On the Marine side—
Seeing this, they immediately ordered the bombardment to cease.
This was enough.
By now, the Going Merry had slowed down significantly.
In just a few more minutes, the warships would be able to pull alongside it!
Aboard the nearly immobile Going Merry, Luffy managed to prop the mast back up.
Usopp hammered away frantically, barely managing to secure it in place.
Everyone on board was gasping for breath.
They had expended too much energy.
As they watched the approaching warships, their faces were filled with desperation.
Would they not even last until Vir returned?
Just ten warships had brought them to a standstill.
How much worse must Vir’s situation be, facing the enemy alone…
Robin couldn’t help but wonder.
The warships kept closing in.
The five Vice Admirals were ready to make their move.
In just moments, they would leap aboard the Merry and capture everyone.
At the brink of despair—
Suddenly!
Just ahead of the Going Merry, a massive ship slowly entered their view.
The Marines noticed it immediately.
“What ship is that? Pirates?”
Vice Admiral Doberman immediately questioned his subordinate.
“N-No, sir! It bears no flag at all. It seems to be a merchant ship, without any weapons onboard.”
The officer quickly replied.
Hearing this, Doberman assumed it was just a passing merchant vessel.
He spared it a glance before dismissing it.
But the moment he looked away—
From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something utterly shocking!
The massive ship, which had seemed to be an ordinary merchant vessel, suddenly soared into the air!
Yes!
It was flying!
It was soaring straight toward them.
The overwhelming pressure it exuded was terrifying!
“What the hell is going on!?”
Doberman roared in disbelief.
The other Vice Admirals had nearly identical expressions.
Their eyes widened in shock.
They had all received the report that the ship carried no weapons.
But now, why the hell was it flying straight at them?
What the hell was this!?
*Boom!!!*
A deafening explosion shook the battlefield.
The massive ship landed directly between the two forces!
It positioned itself right in front of the ten warships!
Everyone’s gaze snapped toward the ship.
Standing at the bow was a man gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight!
“Diamond Jozu!!”
“It’s him! Why is he here? Isn’t he supposed to be in the New World?”
A wave of exclamations erupted.
All five Vice Admirals stared at Jozu in shock.
Jozu glanced back at the Going Merry’s flag, and a smirk slowly crept onto his face.
Damn.
He had finally found them.
And he had nearly been too late, thanks to these damn Marines.
A doctor of that caliber, captured and thrown into Impel Down?
What a waste that would be!
Damn Marines!
“Do you even know who they are? And yet you dare to chase them down like this?”
Jozu shot a disdainful look at the Vice Admirals.
Hearing this, they exchanged uncertain glances.
What was going on?
The Straw Hats had ties with Jozu?
Before they could even ask, Jozu continued, shouting:
“Their ship doctor is a benefactor of the Whitebeard Pirates!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Vice Admirals’ eyes widened in shock.
What?!
Why hadn’t they heard about this?
Vir had only recently set out to sea.
How was he already connected to the Whitebeard Pirates?
If that were true, this situation was about to become extremely troublesome.
Hesitant, they immediately called Akainu.
“What is it?!”
Akainu’s irritated voice came through.
Having just let Vir escape, he was already furious.
He, an Admiral, had failed to capture that brat.
It was utterly humiliating!
“Diamond Jozu is blocking our way. He says the Straw Hats are friends of the Whitebeard Pirates. Should we still attack?”
Doberman finished speaking—
Only to be met with an enraged roar!
“You need to ask me that?! Attack them! I don’t care who they are! The Straw Hats must all be captured today!”
*Click!*
The call ended abruptly.
Honestly, the moment they made the call, the outcome had already been decided.
Akainu didn’t care about such things.
Friends?
If they were Whitebeard’s sons, he might have considered it.
But friends?
Go to hell!
—
IMPORTANT – SCHEDULE UPDATE!
Hey everyone, gotta reshuffle the schedule a little bit.
Since Chapters 119-122 will be double-sized, I’ll post only one chapter a day.
So, don’t get freaked out—you’ll still get your daily dose.
Next, Chapters 126-143 are a mix of double-sized and one-and-a-half-sized chapters.
The upload schedule for them will be 2-1-2-1, etc. By Chapter 144, we’ll be back to the standard two chapters per day.
Well, overall, you’ll get the same weekly word count as before, so don’t sweat it.