"Impel Down invaded?!"
"The Beasts fleet suddenly vanished!"
"Fish-Man Island merfolk are escaping!"
"A great battle between Blackbeard and Whitebeard!"
"Katakuri has captured Straw Hat Luffy alive!"
"The Red Hair Pirates have allied with the Giants!"
These events unfolded with hardly any time for the Marines to react. Now, the only thing all Marines could be certain of was that the sea was about to descend into complete chaos. It seemed a given that the Beasts Pirates were about to make a major move. Based on the intelligence gathered so far in the New World, the Marine grand fleet, the Red Hair Pirates, and the Giant's allied fleet were all heading toward Charlotte Linlin's territory, seemingly intent on eradicating this former Four Emperor from the seas. As allies with a strong existing relationship, the Beasts Pirates would naturally participate in this war to maintain their dominance. One move affected the whole body; the entire sea had completely lost control. However, looking at the intelligence from these past few days, everyone on the sea felt that something about it was strange.
"What is the situation at the Gates of Justice?"
"We have already contacted them, but there has been no response. We sent people to check on Impel Down, but none of them have returned, nor has any news come back."
Everyone's brows furrowed tightly. They clearly sensed that something was wrong, but they could not spare any manpower now. The situation in the outer sea was too chaotic, so chaotic that the Marines were powerless. They naturally knew that being able to prevent Impel Down from even sending out a message meant that such methods certainly did not belong to ordinary people. Perhaps it was Dragon of the Revolutionaries who had personally made a move. But the problem was that Impel Down had its advantages. No matter how much chaos there was inside, as long as the Gates of Justice were closed, one could ignore what was happening outside. As for Doflamingo, as long as the World Government did not issue an order, the current Marines would simply pretend not to see him.
In the New World, as each side recruited helpers, a day later, the Straw Hat Pirates finally reunited in a certain sea area.
"Jinbe, Hachi!"
Behind Jinbe were the former members of the Sun Pirates. By Nami and the others stood the Nine Red Scabbards from Zou and a group of samurai from Wano Country.
"It looks like you have found some good helpers too. I can feel that they are very strong!"
The Nine Red Scabbards and these samurai from Wano Country originally had some reservations about helping pirates from outside, especially since Kaido's actions and Wano Country's isolation had given them an inherent distrust of foreign pirates. The only reason they were willing to come here was because of Kin'emon's persuasion; to overthrow Kaido and liberate Wano Country, they needed the strength of these outside pirates. But the moment they met, these samurai, upon seeing the green-haired man's face, were all stunned. Shimotsuki Yasuie, who was once a Daimyo of Wano Country, could not help but shout when he saw Zoro's face.
"No... impossible. Hey, kid, what is your relationship with Ushimaru-sama?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone who was just exchanging pleasantries was stunned. Zoro was also taken aback, then subconsciously replied, "Ushimaru... I am sorry, I do not know him!"
Shimotsuki Yasuie immediately shook his head. "Impossible, your face is exactly like Shimotsuki Ushimaru-sama."
"Shimotsuki!?"
This surname made Zoro think of something, and he slowly said, "I am sorry, I really do not know him. However, my master is named Shimotsuki Kousaburou."
"What, Kousaburou? Could it be Kousaburou-sama's child? No, it must be so."
"Hey, Yasu-sama, what are you talking about?" asked many samurai who did not know about past events.
Shimotsuki Yasuie then recalled, "I remember very clearly, more than fifty years ago, an incredible fellow came to our Wano Country. His name was Harald, the King of the Elbaf Giants. He was a monster so powerful he was abnormal."
Everyone's faces showed endless shock.
"The Giant Race!"
"That is right, it was the King from the Giant Kingdom: Elbaf. After that meeting, Mr. Shimotsuki Kousaburou, who was once our Wano Country's top swordsmith, took Ushimaru-sama's elder sister and illegally left Wano Country, their whereabouts unknown."
Now everyone understood.
"However, now that I know, it must be true. You must be related by blood to Ushimaru-sama."
Zoro was also stunned. He did not expect to be connected to Wano Country. However, he had already guessed that what the samurai in front of him said was correct, because he was very familiar with the name Shimotsuki Kousaburou; that was his master's father. This made Law, who was watching the show, gasp again, recalling what Kaido had once said. It really would make people feel unfair. These guys from the Straw Hat Pirates seemed to be excessively strong, one by one. Fortunately, at this moment, Robin spoke up and interrupted this family reunion.
"Let us hurry up and talk about how to rescue Luffy and Usopp, shall we?"
Everyone also came back to their senses. Shimotsuki Yasuie also nodded and said, "Since it is the captain of Ushimaru-sama's bloodline, then we will naturally do our utmost."
If it were just Kin'emon's connection, these samurai might not exert much effort in the upcoming battle, but with Zoro present, it was completely different. In Wano Country, with their samurai bloodline dwindling among those who escaped, the sudden appearance of a descendant of Ushimaru-sama, and such a powerful swordsman at that, was absolutely a good thing for the restoration of Wano Country. Zoro also did not expect his identity to bring such benefits. He was uncharacteristically silent, not refuting anything. Seeing this, everyone's gazes refocused.
"How exactly are we going to rescue Luffy? I heard you have a plan?" Sanji also spoke at the opportune moment, looking at Jinbe and Robin.
Robin nodded. "We were lucky. When we arrived, we already thought of a plan. We have Mr. Jinbe to thank for this."
Under everyone's gaze, Jinbe first prepared to speak. "Everyone, before I reveal the plan, I must confirm one thing with you all: BIGMOM, like Whitebeard, Kaido, and Shanks, is a monster known as one of the Four Emperors in the New World. Although I can feel that everyone's strength is very great, directly fighting such a monster is absolutely unwise. Therefore, our upcoming plan will focus on rescuing Luffy-kun and Usopp-kun."
Everyone nodded.
Jinbe then continued, "Currently, in the BIGMOM Pirates, BIGMOM's twenty-first daughter, Charlotte Praline, has a husband named Aladine, our former ship doctor from the Sun Pirates. I have already contacted him, and thanks to him, we have found a possible way to rescue Luffy-kun..."
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