Under the terrified gazes of everyone present, Roy tossed Vergo, now limp as a dead dog, back into his cage.
"Don't underestimate me. I may not be much of a fighter, but killing you all would still be effortless."
"Big Bro's strength…"
This was the first time Rakuyo and the others had seen Roy take action. Even though Thatch had repeatedly told them that Roy was terrifyingly strong, they hadn't believed it. After all, they'd known Roy for over thirty years; how could they not know his true capabilities?
But now, seeing him effortlessly crush a Marine Vice Admiral and base commander with their own eyes, they finally understood.
Vergo had broken through their combined assault; his strength was undeniable. Yet against Roy, he had been crushed like an insect.
For a moment, they saw Whitebeard's shadow in Roy.
Now they understood why Whitebeard had made Roy the Vice Captain, to lead them and protect them in the New World.
"Chain him up properly. No need to kill him, handing him over to the Marines is better."
Roy smirked.
"If the Marines execute him, it'll be a slap in the face to Warlord Donquixote Doflamingo. If they let him go… well, that's even more entertaining. The Marines, bowing to a pirate? "
"Doflamingo's a former Celestial Dragon. To him, the Marines are just dogs."
"I'm curious to see what happens next. Aren't you, Vice Admiral Doll?"
The Marine officers' fear of Roy deepened. If they had previously thought he was just cunning and sharp-tongued, now they had witnessed his monstrous strength.
A man who could rival Whitebeard!
The Whitebeard Pirates had been hiding such a powerhouse all along, without a single leak of information.
It was terrifying.
Roy glanced at Vegapunk one last time, then turned and walked away, leaving the others in stunned silence.
Meanwhile, aboard the Moby Dick…
"We've received word—the Marines have already transported Ace out of Impel Down. He's likely being sent to the New World now," Whitey Bay reported with the latest intel.
"Newgate, we need to prepare for war."
"I know. The arrangements are already in place," Whitebeard nodded.
The Marines wouldn't settle for a simple exchange. According to Roy's intelligence, they were massing forces, gathering elite fighters from Marineford, mobilizing soldiers from other branches, and even summoning the Warlords.
They had initially been able to contact Jinbe, but when they tried reaching out to the Sun Pirates again, Aladine informed them:
"Jinbe went to Marineford… and never returned. It's been seven days."
"Jinbe must have been captured," Roy concluded.
In the original timeline, Jinbe had opposed the execution of Ace and was suppressed by Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself. A Warlord, effortlessly subdued and imprisoned in Impel Down.
Most likely, the Marines had learned of Jinbe's ties to them and, fearing he would turn on them during the war, had preemptively taken him down.
"Will Jinbe be alright?"
"Don't worry. If things go smoothly, he'll remain a Warlord. He's Fish-Man Island's representative—the World Government's only bridge to maintaining relations with them," Roy reassured.
But the future was uncertain. The timeline had diverged. What would happen next? Even he didn't know.
.....
Impel Down – The Great Prison Riot
While the Whitebeard Pirates waited for the Marines' next move, chaos erupted in the first half of the Grand Line, within the Calm Belt.
Impel Down, one of the World Government's three great institutions, was in turmoil.
Straw Hat Luffy had somehow infiltrated the prison and, alongside the captured Buggy, was wreaking havoc.
The Marines had already transported Ace out, and Warden Magellan had thrown Luffy into Level 5.
But Bon Clay fought his way down, helping Luffy reach Level 6 with the aid of Revolutionary Army officer Emporio Ivankov.
And then, Blackbeard's crew, who were supposed to be heading to the New World with the Marines, vanished.
Instead, they appeared inside Impel Down.
...
"What do you mean Blackbeard isn't with the fleet?!" Sengoku, stationed at Marineford, roared in anger.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. We currently have no idea where Blackbeard and his crew are," reported Brannew, drenched in sweat.
"Damn it. Is that bastard running away, or does he have another agenda?" Sengoku still didn't know what Blackbeard was planning.
With Marine forces concentrated in the New World for the war against Whitebeard, the first half of the Grand Line was dangerously undermanned.
If Blackbeard was making a move… who knew what would happen?
Back at Impel Down, Upon learning Ace had already been taken for the exchange, Luffy sighed in relief.
But to escape, he freed Jinbe and Crocodile, igniting a full-scale prison break.
Meanwhile, Blackbeard's crew stormed Impel Down, cutting off all communications.
Magellan, in a moment of desperation, released Shiryu of the Rain.
A fatal mistake.
The Blackbeard Pirates were nearly wiped out, only to be saved by none other than Shiryu, the man Magellan had just let loose.
Watching Luffy, Jinbe, and the others escape, Magellan returned to the prison only to be ambushed by Shiryu and was then neutralized by Blackbeard, who rendered him powerless.
"Doc Q, do you want his Devil Fruit ability?" Teach asked, grinning as he looked at the paralyzed Magellan.
"No way. If I ate the Venom-Venom Fruit, I'd be the first one to die," Doc Q said, absolutely refusing it.
"What a shame. Such a powerful fruit," Blackbeard sighed.
"If you kill him, the World Government and Marines will hunt you forever," Shiryu warned.
"Zehahaha! Fine, we'll spare him. I'm not interested in his 'Diarrhea Fruit' anyway. Let's go—we don't want the Marines showing up."
"This is fun~ I never thought I'd walk out of here alive," Catarina Devon said with a smile
"The outside world… the air is so fresh," Avalo Pizarro chuckled.
"Just because you broke us out doesn't mean we'll follow you," Vasco Shot grumbled.
"Now, now, we're comrades now~" Catarina Devon teased.
"Gyahahaha!" Sanjuan Wolf's laughter boomed behind them.
"The New World's about to become a battlefield. We need to move fast," Teach declared.
"You said the Marines are going to war with Whitebeard. What's the point of us going? Will your plan even work?" Shiryu questioned.
"The odds are good."
"Then let's try it. If we succeed, the future is ours," Devon purred.
"If we fail, you'll all work under me," Pizarro grinned.
"Then I'll kill you first," Van Auger said coldly, adjusting his rifle.
"Zehahaha! Let's go to the New World! And thank you, Straw Hat Luffy… I'm sure we'll meet again."
After receiving the news, Sengoku rushed to Impel Down. Seeing the critically injured Magellanand the state of the prison, with so many prisoners having escaped, he felt like the sky was falling.
"Blackbeard Pirates… I WILL END YOU!!"
...
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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