"Saint Saturn, no anomalies have been detected underwater, and the Whitebeard Pirates haven't ambushed us with any enemies!" reported a senior CP organization agent to Saint Saturn. "We are less than ten minutes away from reaching the territory of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Dressed in a black suit and leaning on a cane, Saint Saturn stood silently on the deck of the warship, squinting at the distant sea.
A long coastline was visible ahead, belonging to a very large island.
Saint Saturn had a feeling, and he spoke, "So this is the battleground you've chosen... Edward Newgate."
His Observation Haki clearly sensed many people on the island; it seemed their movements couldn't be hidden from the Whitebeard Pirates.
Moreover, the Whitebeard Pirates must have been prepared for battle early on, choosing this island to intercept them on the World Government's army's inevitable path.
"It looks like you're prepared to make this island your final resting place," Saint Saturn said, a faint killing intent emanating from him.
Although it had been a long time since he personally took up arms against an enemy, he felt his old bones hadn't completely rusted yet.
If it were just him alone... he didn't think he could defeat Whitebeard.
Even two of the Five Elders would probably have a hard time taking down Whitebeard, after all, that man could face two Emperor-level figures on his own.
However...
"Five of the Five Elders mobilized together, plus a large number of elites trained by the World Government, and the elite soldiers sent by more than twenty allied nations."
Saint Saturn muttered to himself, "Whitebeard... no matter how strong you are, it's hard to fight against a behemoth like the World Government."
"If there's anyone to blame... it's that you're too strong. This vast sea cannot tolerate a powerful existence like yours."
"Pass down the order!"
Saint Saturn commanded in a deep voice, "Surround the entire island ahead, and bombard it beyond the level of a Buster Call! Use up all the ammunition from all the warships until the island ahead is completely reduced to ruins!"
The senior CP agent couldn't help but swallow hard, already imagining the terrifying scene.
He immediately responded, "Yes! Saint Saturn!"
As the World Government's warships approached the island, they could see pirate ships anchored around it.
Most of those pirate ships were members of the Whitebeard Pirates' large fleet! "There must be tens of thousands of pirates..." Saint Nusjuro, holding his sword in one hand and slowly adjusting his glasses with the other, said, "No traps detected. It seems... they want to take us head-on!"
"Heh, pirates who overestimate their own strength!"
Saint Nusjuro sneered, "If they had set up traps in advance, they might have caused us some losses, but to take on the World Government head-on is suicide!"
"The power of the World Government... is not something any Emperor pirate crew can match!"
Saint Nusjuro issued the order through a Den Den Mushi, "All warships, quickly take position! Don't let any escape route open, exterminate all the pirates!"
The warships positioned themselves just outside the firing range of the pirate ships, beginning to slowly surround the entire island from multiple directions.
Then, with such a formation...
They continued to approach the island ahead.
...
"Look at all those warships! Those rotten bureaucrats of the World Government, they seem to want to catch us all in one fell swoop!"
A New World pirate captain from the Whitebeard Pirates' grand fleet growled, "Men! Once their ships enter the range of our cannons, blast them fiercely for me!"
"Pops said, this time we're going head-to-head with the World Government, to teach them a harsh lesson with our overwhelming power, and take over the world's speaking rights!"
"If we win this battle, it's going to be one for the history books! Everyone, get fired up!!!"
Every pirate in the grand fleet was on edge.
When the World Government's warships finally sailed into the pirates' cannon range...
It also meant that the island was within the range of the warships' cannons!
Whether pirates or the World Government.
Almost at the same time, they all shouted—
"Fire!!!"
After the first cannon fired, the cannons began to roar fiercely.
The deafening noise scared the wild beasts on the island into fleeing everywhere.
Cannonballs crisscrossed through the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Most of the cannonballs either splashed into the sea, creating huge sprays of water, or hit the shore, blasting terrifyingly large craters.
Some cannonballs hit the Whitebeard Pirates' ships, igniting fierce fires and killing or injuring some of the pirates on board.
Clearly, the Whitebeard Pirates' grand fleet was not to be underestimated.
Warships also began to be hit by the pirates' cannonballs.
"Quick! Fire! Fire! Don't give those pirates a chance to breathe. We have more warships, our firepower is stronger! Suppress them! All warships fire while advancing towards the land! Hurry!"
"Damn it, one of the warships got hit in the ammunition depot by a pirate's cannonball! The warship is sinking!!!"
"Ha-ha! I blew up a pirate ship!"
"Fire! Fire!!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! The intense booming made many people's eardrums sting, but no one cared about that because the moment the first cannon fired, everyone went into a frenzy.
"What a hassle..." Saint Mars tilted his head, dodging an incoming cannonball, already a bit impatient.
He spoke into the Den Den Mushi, "Whitebeard hasn't shown up yet, he wouldn't be thinking of running away seeing the bad situation, would he?"
Saint Warcury's voice came through the Den Den Mushi, "Let's the five of us take action and destroy all those pirate ships, then our forces can land directly."
Saint Nusjuro's voice also chimed in, "I agree, let's not waste time with these pirates, the longer we delay, the more likely unexpected changes will occur."
Saint Peter also said, "I agree."
When the Five Elders reached a consensus, they transformed without a word, all entering their half-beast states.
Saint Nusjuro turned into a creature with the upper body of a man and the lower body of a skeletal horse.
Saint Peter transformed into a massive sandworm.
Saint Warcury became a giant beast resembling a wild boar.
Saint Mars transformed into an unknown creature, a mix of bird and snake, flapping its huge wings and ignoring the cannonballs flying towards it as it surged forward rapidly.
Saint Saturn morphed into a half-beast with the lower body of a spider and the upper body sporting a pair of bull horns.
All five of them were enveloped in flames, a sign of their awakened animal abilities.
When this bizarre transformation occurred, even the elite soldiers of the World Government aboard the warships were stunned, having never seen the Five Elders in such a terrifying form.
"What kind of monster is that?!"
A New World captain with a bounty of 500 million felt a surge of intense danger.
Suddenly!
He instinctively raised his sword to block an attack.
Clang! The fierce clash of blades caused the New World pirate captain's expression to change dramatically.
The force was so strong that he couldn't hold onto his sword.
He was sent flying by a single slash from Saint Nusjuro—a captain with a bounty of over 500 million.
Defeated in one move!
Under the shocked and fearful gaze of the pirates, Saint Nusjuro was about to split the pirate ship in two with a casual slash.
But just then...
Saint Nusjuro quickly turned his head to the left, only to see a spiraling slash heading straight for him!
Boom! Half of Saint Nusjuro's body was obliterated by the spiral slash.
However...
His body began to recover rapidly in a strange way, somewhat similar to Marco's "immortal body."
With a grim and incredulous face, Saint Nusjuro's gaze locked onto the plump figure on the shore, and he spat out a name with emphasis: "Charlotte Linlin!"
For a moment, Saint Nusjuro almost doubted whether his army had attacked the wrong place. How could the Four Emperors' Big Mom be here?
And wasn't this woman already defeated twice by Whitebeard?
Shouldn't she have been killed by Whitebeard?
How is she still alive...
And why is she here?
"Ma-ma-ma-ma..." Big Mom, with a sinister smile, shouted at Saint Nusjuro from afar: "Old man! The New World is not a place you scoundrels can touch! Why don't you take a look at what's appeared behind you?"
Saint Nusjuro's expression changed once again.
When he immediately turned to look behind him, he saw small black dots appearing in the distant sea.
"What is that..."
"Ma-ma-ma-ma! That's my Totto Land's thirty thousand-strong army, all set up in advance, just waiting for you guys to walk right into it! You... are surrounded! Ma-ma-ma-ma!"
Big Mom calmly uttered the words that made Saint Nusjuro's expression turn grim.
Saint Nusjuro was grinding his teeth in anger.
"Damn pirates!!!"
...
"What's going on?" Saint Saturn suddenly heard the sound of cannon fire from behind and turned to look, only to see an unfamiliar fleet of pirate ships appearing behind them.
"That is..."
When he saw the flag of the Big Mom Pirates fluttering, Saint Saturn immediately understood the situation.
"Darn it... but I guess it's acceptable."
Saint Saturn's eyes were full of murderous intent: "Two of the Four Emperors' pirate crews, so what? We have seventy thousand elite troops from the World Government, plus the five of us taking action personally..."
He asserted confidently: "The alliance of the Four Emperors is useless! It's just a desperate struggle."
"Just right, let's take them all down at once!"
The appearance of the Big Mom Pirates only caused a brief panic in the World Government's forces, but under the suppression of the Five Elders, that panic quickly dissipated.
Some warships began to turn around to deal with the Big Mom Pirates coming from behind.
Others charged towards the island with a host of elites.
And with the Five Elders leading the way.
Even if Big Mom suddenly stopped one Saint Nusjuro.
The other four Elders could still open the path for landing.
"Gurararararara!" Suddenly, a hearty laugh that echoed through the skies made all the Five Elders look serious: "A bunch of unwelcome jerks! Uninvited folks, this island is a grave I've specially prepared for you, do you like it?"
Whitebeard walked step by step towards the shore of the island, followed by a group of Whitebeard Pirates' crew members.
And even a group of ninjas from the ninja world! "Whitebeard..." Saint Warcury stared at Whitebeard's figure, feeling the aura emanating from him. Just as he was about to say something, the next second, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"How is this possible!!!" An incredulous exclamation escaped his lips, because beside Whitebeard stood a man who left him speechless.
"Gol D. Roger!!!"
At that moment, Saint Warcury almost thought he was hallucinating.
Because the man standing next to Whitebeard looked exactly like Gol D. Roger! Dressed exactly the same! On the other side... Saint Peter, who was landing on the island under heavy cannon fire, also fell into a brief stupor: "Roger? Is that... Gol D. Roger?"
Saint Peter suddenly realized: "Wait! Does that mean Whitebeard really has the power of resurrection! He wasn't faking his death, he really died during the Summit War, but he came back to life!"
"And this power of resurrection can be used on others, he resurrected the Pirate King!!!"
...
"Hahaha, being alive again feels pretty good, but I guess this body isn't really alive, is it? Feels more like a living dead, right? Hahaha!"
Gol D. Roger, holding a jug of liquor in one hand and a sword in the other, took a swig and then laughed heartily: "Whitebeard, to think you have such power..."
"Really, I can't rest in peace even in death! To be forcefully pulled out from the death by you, you jerk."
"Gurarararararara!" Whitebeard glanced down at Roger and chuckled: "There's plenty more to surprise you! Roger don't think about going back."
Whitebeard laughed loudly: "This world is really exciting! I don't want to be unable to find an old friend to drink with!"
"Hahaha, you really are a jerk!" Roger shook his head with a resigned smile.
Then he turned to look at Ace.
Ace had a complex expression and snorted coldly without making eye contact with Roger.
Roger scratched his head sheepishly.
He already knew this was his son, but he truly wasn't a qualified father, nor a qualified husband.
...
The Five Elders were completely dumbfounded.
What's going on...
They came to deal with the Whitebeard Pirates, and suddenly there was Big Mom, and now, out of nowhere, a Pirate King too?
What kind of joke is this!...
...
(End of Chapter)