"Captain, what are you staring at!? Come on, have a drink!"
On the Grand Line, aboard the Spade Pirates' ship, the crew, who were in the midst of a raucous banquet, looked curiously at Ace, who sat silently beside them, and urged him to join in.
But Ace, who was never one to shy away from a celebration, simply waved them off quietly this time.
"You guys go ahead. I'll join you in a bit."
Saying that, he refocused on the screen in front of him.
Since arriving at the Grand Line, Ace had encountered many things.
By chance, he had even awakened the ability to hear the voices of all things twice.
Though it felt like a hallucination, it made him realize that his father, the Pirate King Roger's death, might not have been as straightforward as he had thought.
Watching the tragedy unfold on O'Hara on the screen, Ace couldn't help but frown.
"What were you trying to do, Roger?" he murmured softly.
At that moment, a large orange arm suddenly wrapped around him.
"Cha! Cha?!" [Hey~ Little brother, what are you doing?]
The already-drunk Charizard, with a flushed face, belched out flames as it sat down beside Ace and asked.
Ace's expression froze for a second, but then he chuckled, saying to Charizard:
"It's nothing, it's just that Brother Leo seems to be having a blast over there!"
With that, Ace took a big swig from the bottle Charizard handed him.
No matter what secrets the Navy or Roger might have...
It has nothing to do with me!
A flame of resolve flickered in Ace's eyes.
He had bigger ideals and goals now!
...
...
On the screen, the civilians who managed to escape from O'Hara fled in lifeboats.
At Marineford, Sengoku stared at the Rotom phone in mid-air, his face trembling.
Meanwhile, Garp, who was leisurely picking his nose, flicked a small black thing into Sengoku's teacup with his pinky finger.
He snorted in annoyance and said,
"I told you before..."
"What goes around comes around."
"Sooner or later, the foolish things you did back then would be exposed."
For a rare moment, Garp's expression turned serious. After a few seconds, he sighed softly, as if remembering the past.
He felt uneasy thinking about how his friend, Saul, had died at the hands of their own people because of such foolishness.
But Sengoku still looked shocked, saying in disbelief:
"Impossible, how could there be any video footage of what happened back then...?"
"And from these camera angles... it's like they were right there! How is this possible!?"
"Hmph," Garp snorted again, "I've told you before, dimensional merchants are real!"
"Do you think I'm easily fooled just because I'm older!?"
"For beings like them, everything we do is just a game."
With that, Garp rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the Rotom phone, ignoring Sengoku's stunned expression.
"Dimensional merchant..."
Sengoku muttered in disbelief, clearly still unwilling to accept what Garp said.
But the scene before him left no room for any other explanation.
At the same time, he silently cursed Akainu.
"What on earth is that bastard doing!? How could he allow these scenes to be broadcast publicly!?"
No matter what, maintaining the Navy's image of justice was the top priority!
...
...
In the Pokémon Arena.
The moment the word "O'Hara" appeared, Akainu realized something was wrong.
Although he didn't know how the other party obtained these videos, he knew that such footage could never be allowed to spread!
As he looked at the reporters and their Den Den Mushi, black smoke billowed from Akainu's body, turning it into scorching lava.
The surrounding air sizzled, bursting into swirling flames.
"Hey!? What is he going to do!?"
Several wealthy businessmen, who had already sensed something was wrong, paled as they saw the lava rising from Akainu's body.
A terrible thought crossed their minds.
"He... he can't be planning to kill us... to silence..."
But halfway through, the wealthy businessman fell silent.
There was no need to say more. The truth was clear.
"If you want to blame someone, blame the one across from me!!!"
Akainu suddenly roared.
Smoky lava shot from his body and soared into the sky.
"Great Eruption!!!"
Veins bulged on Akainu's temples.
In an instant, the sky turned red.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!...
Terrifying magma burst into the air like cannon fire, then rained down on the audience below.
"Ah!!! Help!!!"
"The Navy is killing us!!!"
"..."
"..."
The audience erupted in panic.
Only then did they realize that the Navy, the so-called guardians of order, could kill them on a whim!
"Mom, I don't want to die!"
"Wife, I forgive you! It seems we can't escape dying together!"
"Waaah... husband, I'm sorry. Our daughter... she isn't yours, she's your brother's child!"
"...You'd better go to hell!!!"
"..."
"..."
Chaos engulfed the auditorium, but a few reporters, sweating profusely, kept their Den Den Mushi focus on the scene, capturing the world-shattering event.
But just when everyone was running for their lives in terror...
Leo, who stood in the stadium, shook his head and chuckled.
"Oh, come on, can't we just let the show go on peacefully?"
Bang!
He snapped his fingers lightly.
Suddenly!
A powerful wave of psychic energy poured out like a tidal wave, instantly forming a solid protective barrier over the auditorium.
Bang bang bang bang...
Under the horrified gaze of the audience, the scorching magma struck the barrier, exploding into countless fragments and scattering harmlessly to the sides.
In the end, no one was harmed.
And at that moment, the big screen played its final fragment.
It showed Akainu, still a vice-admiral, giving the order to the Navy warships to sink all the lifeboats leaving O'Hara...
Whether they were civilians or archaeologists, they all perished in the gunfire.
In the end, O'Hara was reduced to an uninhabited island.
...
...
The screen went dark, ending the playback.
But as the audience looked at the images, and then at the splattered magma fragments around them...
They couldn't find it strange at all.
They finally understood that the so-called "justice" of the Navy was maintained by such means.
Looking at the word "justice" emblazoned on the Navy commando behind Akainu, it suddenly felt out of place.
At that moment, the screen flashed and returned to a shot of the stadium.
Rotom's voice echoed once more.
"OK!"
"The introductions for both sides of the arena are complete!"
"Next, let's get down to business and kick off the first Pokémon Open Show!"
Ding!
A rapid bell rang, and vibrant fireworks were once again released around the arena.
Accompanied by a triumphant BGM, the match that Leo had been planning for so long...
Was finally underway!
The audience clapped their hands and cheered for Leo!
"Come on!!! Sir Leo!!!"
"Great dimensional merchant, please must win this battle!"
"Damn the Navy, go to hell!!!"
"..."
At that moment, the audience seemed to have become one with Leo!
After all, they understood that if Leo failed in the upcoming battle, they would surely face magma that could melt them in an instant!
"This scene is really something!"
Leo suddenly grinned, licking his lips like a villain.
Everything was going according to plan, and he already knew the outcome...
But when he thought of the world that would come after his plan succeeded, he couldn't help but get excited.
"In that case, let's have a beautiful battle!"
Leo suddenly pulled out a red and white Pokéball from his belt and hurled it toward Akainu.
He shouted:
"I choose you! Eevee!!!"
With a flash of red light, Eevee appeared on the field.
"Ooohhhh~!!!"
"It's happening! It's happening! It's happening!!!"
Rotom, still serving as the commentator, shouted passionately:
"Sir Leo from the Transdimensional Chamber of Commerce has taken the lead by releasing his Pokémon..."
"And it's the incredibly cute Eevee-san!!!"
"Now, let's turn our attention to the other side. What will Admiral Akainu from Navy Headquarters do!? Where's his Pokémon!?"
"What!?"
"Admiral Akainu doesn't have a Pokémon yet!?"
"Then... with no Pokémon at hand, General Akainu has no choice but to step up himself..."
"And face off against the Dimensional Merchant's Eevee!"
"Look at him~"
"Can you believe someone's stupid enough to fight a Pokémon with their bare hands?"
"Let's hope he makes it out okay!"
"And now, the match..."
"Officially begins!!!"
Listening to Rotom's playful commentary from above, Akainu was infuriated—no, he was already seething with rage!
From the moment he saw that clownish figure across from him, he felt like a puppet, constantly manipulated by others!
He was a Fleet Admiral, and never before had he been so gravely insulted.
"If you're so eager to die, then I'll kill you!!!"
At that moment, in his fury, Akainu no longer cared about the order to capture Leo alive.
After what had just transpired, Leo was as good as dead to him! ! !
Yet, despite Akainu's anger, Leo's smile remained, as if he were attending a grand ceremony, presenting his most charming and confident self.
"Eevee, show this guy across from you the true power of the Pokémon world~"
"Eevee!! (Watch, Master! Today, the world will witness the Great Eevee power!)"
"Eevee! (Master, bring it on!)"
(End of this chapter)