A massive current swept in, quickly forming a whirlpool that pulled all the warships towards its center.
The scene became chaotic.
The relentless bombardment of the island finally ceased.
"The Straw Hats should be escaping soon, right?"
Vivian glanced at the distant, tightly closed Gates of Justice, then caught two survivors and placed them on the deck. He checked his task progress.
[Task Progress: 3432/3000]
Great…
He had already exceeded the task requirements.
Now, he just needed to get these people out of here, and he might move on to the next stage.
Or maybe, he could even complete the task entirely.
Vivian thought to himself.
However, just as the warship started moving, the Den Den Mushi he was ordered to carry before departure rang.
Brrr brrr brrr~~~!
"Hello…"
"Vivian, are you piloting those two warships outside the whirlpool?"
On the other end, Doberman's voice came through.
Vivian: "…"
He was about to come up with an excuse for leaving the main fleet when Doberman continued, "Pursue the Straw Hats. Even if you can't capture them, report their position to us! I've already requested reinforcements from headquarters; someone will come to support you soon."
Silence.
Vivian's face tightened.
Chase them again?
No way, absolutely not!
Instinctively, he clutched his stomach, ready to feign unconsciousness, when suddenly, a task window appeared before him.
[Task: Rescue at least 3000 navy comrades from Enies Lobby (Completed)]
[New Task: Pursue the Straw Hat Pirates (Current Stage 3)]
Vivian: (?_?)
Why!
Vivian, who wanted nothing to do with Luffy and his crew, felt utterly dismayed.
He straightened up, changing his pained expression to one of determination, and said, "Vice Admiral Doberman, rest assured, I, Vivian, will complete the task!"
He almost added, "As long as I have breath in me, I won't let the Straw Hats escape!" but thought better of it, feeling it might be digging his own grave.
Sometimes, overacting isn't a good thing.
"Alright, be careful," Doberman added.
Brrr!
The call ended, and Vivian turned to Hina. "So… could you take them and escape first?"
Although the soldiers on board were in decent physical condition, the recent bombardment had left nearly half of the three thousand injured.
Given the Buster Call, these people were likely already dismissed from the navy. Returning to headquarters would only cause more trouble.
So, Vivian decided, "Take them to Rakveig Island. Here's the eternal pose for that island. Once there, Uncle Issho will take care of you all."
Rakveig Island, mentioned by Vivian and Fujitora before, was now under construction. With these soldiers joining, progress might speed up.
Vivian's plan was quite clever, solving the problem of where to take these people and gaining free labor.
He had indeed figured out how to play this option well.
"Are you really going to chase the Straw Hat Pirates alone?" Hina looked a bit surprised.
After all, that man named Monkey D. Luffy has a bounty of over a hundred million.
It seems that this sergeant sent from the branch not only has great strength but also extraordinary courage.
"That's right." Vivian nodded confidently, "I should be able to handle it alone."
The Straw Hat crew, although sometimes doing reckless things like releasing prisoners from Impel Down, never actually kill their enemies.
Just based on that, he had nothing to worry about.
"Dock the ship over there, I'll switch to another one to chase the Merry. We'll contact each other later via Den Den Mushi."
With that, he waved his hand, and the warship immediately turned and sped towards the port at the head of Enies Lobby.
…
A warship equipped with propulsion devices was naturally much faster than the Merry.
In less than half an hour, Vivian had already caught up with the ship bearing the Straw Hat skull flag.
Meanwhile, on the deck of the Merry, Nami and the others, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, were once again filled with terror as another warship appeared on the horizon.
"How is this possible?!"
"Didn't we already shake off the navy? How is there another one now?"
Usopp and Chopper, fingers in their hair and fur, started running around the deck in panic.
"Calm down, Usopp, Chopper!"
Sanji, with a cigarette in his mouth, pressed down on their heads, exasperated, "It's just one warship, right? We just shook off ten warships, what's one more?"
"Yeah. No matter how many come, we'll just cut them all down."
Zoro stood up and drew his swords, but just as he assumed a fighting stance, another giant ship appeared on the horizon.
"What is that?"
"A ship from the Galley-La Company!"
"Uncle Iceburg's ship?"
Luffy, wrapped in bandages, suddenly sat up and looked towards the stern, "Strange… why is Uncle Iceburg's ship approaching that warship?"
"What?!"
Franky and the others were shocked, and the next second.
Zzzap——!
As if Thor had descended.
A large swath of golden lightning swept towards the Galley-La Company's ship, and in the blink of an eye, many employees standing on the deck collapsed, completely losing their ability to fight.
The ship, struck by lightning, began to smoke and slowly tilted to one side.
Seeing this, Luffy couldn't help but shout angrily, veins bulging on his forehead, "Hey! Get the ship over there and save Uncle Iceburg and the others!"
"Got it!" Usopp quickly ran to the helm.
"Damn it… it seems there's a really strong guy on that pursuing warship." Sanji frowned.
"Didn't I already say, curly-brow? No matter who comes, we'll just cut them down with all our might."
Zoro tensed all his muscles, speaking seriously.