As the commandeered Marine ship sailed, now completely at the mercy of the Tri-Current, the chaos of battle finally gave way to uneasy silence. Lucas stood near the mast, listening as Luffy quickly updated him on the situation. Around them, the pirate prisoners buzzed with nervous energy.
"What!!! We didn't hear anything about this!!!" several cried at once, voices cracking with panic.
"Stop this ship right now! There's no way I'm going along with this!" Buggy shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at Jinbei.
Jinbei's calm voice cut through the noise. "Even if I wanted to, I can't. This ship is at the mercy of the current."
"Straw Hat, this is your fault!" Buggy yelled, face red with frustration.
"Huh? Then why don't you just get off?" Luffy replied bluntly, tilting his head.
"And how are we supposed to do that, huh!? We'd be torn apart by the current!" Buggy screamed, his voice cracking.
"Ohhh no!" a pirate wailed in the background.
"I'd rather go back to prison than go there!" another cried.
"Marine HQ and the Warlords versus Whitebeard's pirates?! That already sounds terrifying—I don't wanna get anywhere near that!"
The deck erupted in fearful chatter—until a sharp purupurupuru rang out.
The transponder snail's eyes blinked, its shell vibrating. Silence fell instantly.
Click.
"Hello?" Luffy picked it up, voice casual.
Every pirate froze, gasping in shock.
"This is Marine HQ," a stern voice spoke.
"Ah. Well, I'm Luffy, and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" Luffy replied cheerfully.
"Why'd you say your name!!!?" the others whispered furiously, faces pale.
The voice continued, cold and precise. "The Impel Down defense fleet has reported that this ship was stolen by escaped prisoners. Based on reports before communications were cut, we've concluded this breakout was carried out by two masterminds."
"Two?" the pirates muttered nervously.
"The first being Straw Hat Luffy… and the second, Buggy the Clown."
"Whaaaaaa!???" the pirates gasped.
Buggy's jaw dropped. "N... No way!"
"They think Captain Buggy is more important than the Shichibukai on this ship!" the prisoners cried, suddenly praising him.
The voice pressed on. "Buggy the Clown… you were once a member of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger's crew."
"Whaaa!! How'd they know!?" Buggy gasped, sweating bullets.
"Ehhhh!!!" the pirates exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Impressive, really," the voice said. "You managed to hide for so long. Although we haven't found a connection between you and Fire Fist Ace, we are certain your goal is the same as Straw Hat Luffy. We also know you have 200 prisoners aboard, including Jinbei, Crocodile, and Ivankov. But your luck ends here. With no one capable of opening the Gate of Justice, you will be stuck in the Tri-Current. Even if you have food right now, you won't survive for long stranded there."
Luffy's grip tightened on the snail. "Hey, wait. I'm going to save Ace, you hear me? Just wash some potatoes and wait."
Kachya. He hung up.
The deck exploded with noise. Pirates praised Buggy, cheering his supposed importance. Buggy puffed his chest, torn between terror and pride.
Across the seas, tension thickened. Radios crackled with broadcasts of Ace's impending execution. Monitors in towns and Marine bases flickered with live feeds. The world held its breath, suspense heavy as iron.
Back aboard the commandeered ship, the Tri-Current carried them relentlessly toward the looming Gates of Justice. The massive steel doors towered like mountains, unyielding and impossible.
Jinbei's voice was reverent. "No one can open these gates. Not without the Marines' command."
Lucas stepped forward, Omnitrix glowing. "Then let me try."
His body shifted, merging into Upgrade. Metallic tendrils spread across the gate's surface, fusing with gears and circuits. The colossal doors groaned, ancient mechanisms grinding as Lucas's fusion forced them open.
The gates creaked apart, light spilling through the cracks. Lucas's eye glowed purple, energy pulsing through the steel. The gears turned, chains snapped, and water started surging forward as the ship passed through.
The ship sailed through, currents stabilizing as the gates parted.
Jinbei's eyes widened. "Amazing… to open the Gates of Justice with such ease."
Lucas demerged, stepping back onto the deck as the gates closed behind them. He exhaled, a grin tugging at his lips. "One obstacle down."
The ship pressed onward, swallowed by the current, toward the war that would shake the seas.