"Roman, what are you busy with?"
"Basking in the sun, feeling the sea breeze..."
"Liar!"
Roman, who was lying through his teeth, was instantly exposed by Nami on the 'phone'. Before he could come up with a new excuse, Nami took the initiative.
"Guess what I'm doing?"
?
Guess what—?"Um... eating?"
"No,"
"Bathing?"
"No,"
"Sleeping?"
"...Aren't you missing drinking hot water?" Nami on the other end of the 'phone' couldn't help but complain, "I'm reading the newspaper!"
"Reading the newspaper~~ Keeping up with world events, real-time news is good too..."
"Don't change the subject, Roman!"
On a small island next to the Red Line, Nami, leaning on a white chair and holding a newspaper, interrupted Roman's nonsense.
"Don't think I haven't noticed. You're with Luffy now, right? Are you planning something dangerous? Like—"
"Prison break!"
"...Nothing like that."
Facing Roman's denial, Nami sneered.
"Hmph, did you forget my genius navigator skills?"
"Using the 'Thieves' Ultimate Skill,' I can reverse locate your direction and distance. Just by calculating from the sea chart, I can easily tell that you're at Marine Headquarters, 'Marineford,' right now."
"Tsk tsk tsk, leaving us behind to go to Marine Headquarters to rescue someone. If Zoro and Sanji knew, wouldn't they be furious?"
"...Listen to me, Nami."
Roman rubbed his temples. A series of remote puppet controls had left his face pale, with dark circles under his eyes, giving him the appearance of a charming playboy, which matched his identity quite well.
"Do you remember Rob Lucci? The leopard man from CP9 in Water 7."
"His strength is at the level of a Vice Admiral in Marine Headquarters. There are dozens of such people gathered in Marineford now! And the three Admirals who once beat us up are all here."
Even with the Straw Hat crew's strength, which had been enhanced through training with Roman, stepping into the Summit War would be a life-or-death situation. If they encountered elite Vice Admirals or Admirals, they would be instantly defeated.
"But you and Luffy..."
Facing Nami's concern, Roman patiently explained.
"My identity goes without saying; staying in the Marines is very safe. And I won't be fighting, at most using The White Knight as a decoy."
"As for Luffy, his grandfather is the legendary Vice Admiral Garp. Out of respect for him, most Marines won't go all out against Luffy."
The only one who would go all out is Akainu, the iron-headed justice fanatic.
"Do you understand? While it's dangerous here, it's only 'dangerous' for us. But for you, if you come, it could very well mean..."
Dying in battle!
Even the skilled Haki users of the Whitebeard Pirates suffered heavy casualties. If the rest of the Straw Hat crew came, it would be like serving themselves up on a platter.
"Even Zoro and Sanji would understand. —After the events at the Sabaody Archipelago, everyone should have a better understanding of the world's top combat power. Our Straw Hat crew indeed needs some time to train and grow stronger."
"It sounds like you and Luffy plan to have everyone hold off on regrouping for now?"
Facing Nami's sharp observation, Roman rolled his eyes on the other end of the 'phone.'
"That's the plan. I'll discuss it with Luffy in a bit..."
Well, after witnessing the power of true strong individuals, Luffy would likely come to the same conclusion. In Luffy's heart, his companions come first, and the dream of becoming the Pirate King is second.
"...Alright, I'll wait for you here."
Nami sighed. In the end, it was their lack of strength that would only drag Luffy and Roman down if they went.
"Stay safe."
"Don't worry, I'm a noble Celestial Dragon."
After hanging up the phone, Roman's fingers unconsciously tapped the table beside him. Although he spoke lightly to Nami, as if the upcoming battle was just a casual show for him and Luffy, in reality:It was still very dangerous!
As for Luffy, no matter how much respect Garp commanded, in the heat of battle, who would care whose grandson he was? When it came time to go all out, they would still go all out! After all, he's not their grandson.
Roman himself, despite having the status of a Celestial Dragon, that status didn't mean much at Marine Headquarters. Sengoku, Garp, and the three Admirals were regulars at Marineford. Ordinary Celestial Dragons wouldn't dare act arrogantly in front of these experts.
To put it bluntly, the Celestial Dragons are like the emperor's foolish sons—noble in status but lacking in power. How can they act arrogant in front of these one-man armies? If they get too angry... So:At that time, it's best to stay close to Vice Admiral Garp.
——————On a warship.
"We're not going to Marine Headquarters..."
"That's no different from seeking death!"
After escaping from prison, upon hearing that this ship was heading to the Marine Headquarters where a great battle was about to take place, many prisoners immediately refused.
"Listen up, you fools—"
Recently revealed by the Marines as a 'Pirate King's crew member,' 'Red-Haired Brother,' and 'hidden for over ten years,' Buggy stood on the ship's railing with his arms spread wide. He had thought of a brilliant idea:"This ship is heading to the center of the war. Use your brains... The pinnacle of the world awaits us!"
"If you're a man, come chase your dreams with me!"
"Today, we will take Whitebeard's head and stand at the top of the world!"
The setting sun cast a golden glow on Buggy, combined with his identity as a Pirate King's crew member and a Yonko's brother, making the newly escaped prisoners see the romance of the era.
Yeah, didn't we set sail to stand at the top of the world? And now, we look like we're just trying to survive..."Captain Buggy!"
"Unknowingly, our spirit has been worn down by the hellish Impel Down..."
"The most important thing, the gem called 'dream,' has been forgotten!"
"Captain Buggy, we will follow you forever!"
"Let's do it with you! Whoever you say to cut, we'll cut—"
Amidst the excitement, a prisoner timidly raised his hand to ask.
"Although we have plenty of weapons on the ship, what about food and medicine..."
You have to know that they were all prisoners tortured half to death in Impel Down. Just after escaping, they were hungry, thirsty, and injured. Their combat power was less than half of what it usually was.
"Fools! These things can be overcome with determination!"
"Captain Buggy will surely have a way!"
"That's right—"
With his arms spread wide, looking like a 'cult leader,' Buggy closed his eyes, but inside he thought:Food and medicine? What can I do on this sea, unless they fall from the sky—Thud! Thud!
"Oh oh oh, it's meat!!"
"Captain Buggy... no, God Buggy has manifested!"
"Praise the invincible, omnipotent Captain Buggy—"
???
Buggy opened his eyes to see the cheering prisoners surrounding several huge packages filled with food and medical supplies. Buggy began to wonder if he had eaten the 'Chop-Chop Fruit' or the 'Wish-Wish Fruit'..."What are these guys so excited about?"
The White Knight, who had descended from the sky, looked at the prisoners in front of him, who were so excited they were crying and praying. —To break out of Impel Down, they must have some skills, bounty hunters worth over a hundred million, and they get this excited over a bit of food and medicine?
One might mistake them for beggars..."No worries, everything is within the great Captain Buggy's calculations!"
"Everyone, eat and drink to your heart's content! Then fight with all your might! —That's what being a pirate is all about~~"
"Oh oh oh, cheers to Captain Buggy!" This...Buggy, are you sure you didn't eat the 'Pyramid Scheme Fruit'... no, the 'Chop Chop Fruit'?
The White Knight, who had just flown in and dropped the 'airdrop', shook his head. Ignoring the eccentric Buggy and the prisoners who were joining in, he walked over to Luffy and the others.
Earlier, The White Knight had used Bon Clay's blood to transform into Magellan and tricked the Gate of Justice open. If Luffy hadn't accidentally punched Magellan's face, Roman would have had to use 'Paper Dance - Painted Skin' with a stiff upper lip.
However, the 'Painted Skin' skill couldn't be as perfect as Bon Clay's transformation ability, and it would easily reveal flaws in front of familiar people. —Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
Of course, that The White Knight was also lost in the control room of Impel Down, forcing Roman to send another 'The White Knight' to bring supplies to everyone.
Swish,
A large pile of high-quality food appeared on the deck, making Luffy drool instantly.
"Everyone, eat something. We have a tough battle ahead!"
At Luffy's call, Bon Clay, Jinbe, Crocodile, Ivankov, Inazuma, Mr. 1, and others sat directly on the deck, starting to enjoy this prison break team's last supper.
No matter what happens next, they probably won't gather like this again.
—————— ----You can read 30 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu