165 With the Justice System

New World.

On the deck of the Red Force, the sea breeze carried a faint salty tang.

"Tap—"

Beckman, a cigarette between his lips, strode quickly into the captain's cabin and slapped a piece of intelligence onto the desk.

"Captain, the latest intel."

"Beckman..."

Shanks turned his head. "What's the situation?"

"Katakuri has already left Totto Land with the Big Mom Pirates' main force."

"That greedy woman Big Mom—she can't wait to make a move on Whitebeard's territory."

"Over on Onigashima, the Beasts Pirates are gathering too. Judging from the looks of it, Kaido wants to head straight to Marineford to join the fun!"

"Their preparations will likely be complete very soon."

"Gulp—"

Shanks picked up the bottle of liquor on the table and tilted it back, taking a long swig.

The burning liquor slid down his throat, but it couldn't suppress the heaviness in his heart.

The balance of this sea... had already been completely shattered!

The Marines' actions this time—too fast, too decisive!

It was nothing like the organization he remembered, one that was restrained at every turn.

Behind this, something must have happened, something earth-shaking enough to overturn their very foundations.

It couldn't go on like this.

If they went to Headquarters now, they might still make it in time.

He had to stop the spread of this war. The seas must not spiral out of control!

"Beckman, pass down the order."

Shanks slammed the bottle down on the desk with a heavy bang.

"Everyone, prepare to set sail."

His eyes hardened with absolute resolve.

"Our destination—Marineford!"

Very soon—"whummm—"

The sails of the Red Force unfurled violently.

It swung its bow around, speeding toward Paradise.

...

Somewhere in the New World.

This was a sea route that had to be taken to return to Paradise.

With the Whitebeard Pirates' main force deployed, many regions of the New World had fallen into utter chaos.

Countless pirates, once dormant, surged out madly.

They fought over Whitebeard's abandoned territories, slaughtering one another.

Burning shipwrecks, floating corpses, and the thunder of cannon fire painted a scene straight out of hell.

"Splash—"

A fleet of ten Marine battleships cut through the waves.

At the head, the dog-headed warship.

"..."

Luffy stared blankly at it all, his small head filled with great confusion.

So this was the New World?

It was nothing like the adventure paradise Shanks had described.

All along the way, he hadn't seen banquets among friends or adventurers chasing their dreams.

Only endless slaughter... and faces twisted with madness.

"..."

Garp stood at the bow, the Justice cape on his back snapping in the wind.

"See that, Luffy?"

"This is the sea you long for. This is the 'freedom' you speak of."

"Boom—!"

Before his words had even fallen, a cannonball whistled through the air and slammed into the water in front of the dog-headed warship, sending up a towering column of spray.

Not far away, a pirate ship flying a blood-stained skull flag swung its cannons around with arrogant swagger.

The pirates on board laughed wildly, clearly not realizing whose ship this was.

"Hahaha! A Marine ship! Boys, get over there!"

"Yoh-ho-ho! Lucky day! That ship looks like it's worth a fortune! Grab the women and the treasure on board!"

"Crack—"

Instinctively, Luffy clenched his fists tight.

So this was a New World pirate!

Faced with Marines, the very symbol of justice, they showed no fear—on the contrary, they looked at them with the greed and cruelty of hunters spotting prey.

"BOOM—!!!"

Before the pirate ship could fire again, the massive warships following behind the dog-headed ship unleashed dozens of cannons at once.

Orange-red firelight blazed across the sea, tearing the air apart.

That pirate ship, along with the hundreds of pirates aboard, was instantly engulfed by a storm of cannon fire.

Shattered wood, torn sails, and severed limbs shot skyward in the explosion's blaze, only to be ripped into finer fragments by the blast wave.

"..."

Luffy's mouth hung open as he stared at the sea, now littered with nothing but splinters. He couldn't form a single word.

Just moments ago, those hundreds of raucous, laughing pirates—gone, just like that.

"See that, Luffy."

Garp turned, looking down at his grandson from above.

"In an age of Marines, this is the fate of pirates."

"Those dead pirates—their so-called freedom was built on plundering and slaughtering the weak."

"The Marines exist to ensure the people are not harmed by them."

"..."

Luffy wanted to argue, wanted to say something about his promise with Shanks, wanted to claim that the Pirate King was the freest man on the seas.

But all that he had seen along this journey...

Ace's despairing eyes behind prison bars...

And that pirate ship that had just fired at the Marines...

Each one pressed on his chest, suffocating him.

For the first time, his dream wavered.

At that moment—"whummm—"

A warship caught up from behind the fleet, and a figure leapt lightly aboard.

Dressed in a Vice Admiral's uniform, hair pinned up, face calm—the Marines' Great Staff Officer, Tsuru.

"Garp."

Tsuru's voice was as clear as ever.

"A call came in from Headquarters."

"Mm. What did they say?"

"All preparations are complete. The execution is about to begin!"

Her gaze swept past Luffy, pale-faced and spiritless, before continuing.

"According to the final discussion, we must keep the scale of this war within manageable limits."

"The Marines' goal in this battle is to annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates and weaken the forces of the other Yonko as much as possible."

"But we must not... allow them all to reach Marineford at once. That would add uncontrollable variables to the battlefield."

"So, Headquarters' stance is—let one through, block the other two!"

Her tone was calm, but the content was suffocating to anyone who understood.

The Marines were preparing to face two 'Emperors of the Sea' at once!

What madness!

And what confidence!

At that moment, the lookout cried out, "Report!"

"A fast-approaching ship spotted ahead!"

"It's... it's the Red Force!"

"The flagship of the Red-Haired Pirates!"

"!!!"

As the words fell, both Garp and Tsuru turned their eyes toward the distant horizon.

A sleek red ship, dragon-headed at its prow, was cutting through the waves at full speed straight toward them.

"Hmph—!"

Garp clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking audibly.

"Red-haired brat, you're the one who used your empty talk of 'freedom' and 'adventure' to corrupt this old man's grandson?!"

He bared his teeth in a grin, white and sharp, his smile brimming with chilling battle spirit.

"You want to get past me?"

"Then you'd better be ready to pay the toll!"