Aboard the Dragon, the massive vessel the Immortal Pirates had once seized from the Revolutionary Army.
After crossing from the West Blue into the Grand Line, and while still thousands of nautical miles away from the designated battlefield, Alucard parted ways with the rest of the crew, intending to proceed alone.
"Not only the Marines and the Government, but even the Seven Warlords of the Sea have been mobilized. This is arguably the largest military operation since the Government was established eight hundred years ago," Aranea said, standing by the ship's railing. "They are dead set on taking you down. Challenging them alone is a bit too..."
Alucard did not answer his subordinates. He boarded his small boat and began drifting leisurely toward St. Poplar.
"Well, that's just like our Captain," Dr. Vegapunk remarked from the workshop. "Even without having seen the full power of the National Treasure, one can guess that with eight hundred years of souls fueling it, anyone else going along would just be cannon fodder."
"Then what do we do? Just wait here quietly?" Robin asked.
"The numerical disparity in this war is massive, but the outcome shouldn't take long to decide. We'll just wait here in peace," Dr. Vegapunk said, turning back toward his onboard laboratory.
Aranea, Robin, and the others were utterly perplexed. Wait here? It felt far too distant. They were thousands of nautical miles from St. Poplar; surely they should at least move within a reasonable range.
…
At St. Poplar, the World Government's army occupied the inner city, while the Marines had formed a blockade of warships so dense not a drop of water could leak through.
Admiral Fujitora arrived on Sengoku's flagship. The two sat together in a cabin, unceremoniously eating noodles. Even with war imminent, one still had to eat and use the latrine as usual.
Slurping down the last of his noodles, Fujitora turned his sightless gaze toward Sengoku. "Regarding my previous proposal... have you given it any thought, Sengoku-san?"
Sengoku's chopsticks paused. He knew Fujitora was referring to "betraying" the Government. To be honest, the war had come so suddenly that he hadn't had time to process the idea; his heart was currently a mess of conflicting loyalties.
"Regardless of your decision, Sengoku-san, my mind is made up. I and my two thousand men will defect from the Government when the battle reaches its climax. Even if I must carry a brand of infamy for eternity, I will not hesitate," Fujitora said with iron resolve.
Sengoku's eyes widened behind his glasses. He hadn't expected Fujitora to burn his bridges so completely.
"If you object, Sengoku-san, you may strip me of my rank as an Admiral. This old man will leave on his own." After drinking every last drop of the soup, Fujitora bowed to Sengoku and left the cabin.
Sengoku sat alone, rubbing his temples in a headache. How could he possibly fire Fujitora now? With the battle about to begin, dismissing an Admiral would cause Marine morale to plummet to rock bottom.
…
Two days later, the Marine "iron cage" surrounding St. Poplar remained vigilant. Countless sailors stood at the ready on the decks, while scouts in the crow's nests scanned the horizon with telescopes, desperate to pinpoint where the Immortal Pirates would strike first.
Suddenly, on a warship featuring a dog-head prow with a bone in its mouth, a scout screamed in terror. He yelled down to the sailors below: "Aokiji! It's the fallen Admiral Aokiji! Notify Vice Admiral Garp immediately!"
Since Vice Admiral Garp was the only one in the entire fleet with a bone-biting dog as a figurehead, Kuzan had found him easily.
Pedaling his small bicycle to the side of the dog-head ship, Kuzan looked up at the crowd. "Arara, don't be so prickly. I'm not here to fight. Is Garp-san in?"
Garp, clad in his full uniform, walked to the prow and looked down. "Kuzan, you brat... in what capacity are you here to see me?"
Kuzan froze a few square meters of the sea beneath him to park his bike, then leaped onto the deck beside Garp. Garp's two disciples, Koby and Helmeppo, recoiled in fear.
"A-Admiral Aokiji..."
"The fallen Admiral... now a core combatant of the Immortal Pirates... a man with a bounty exceeding 700 million Berries..."
Koby and Helmeppo's teeth were chattering. They knew that given Kuzan's Admiral-level strength, his "actual" threat level was well over a billion; 700 million was simply a starting figure because he had only recently turned pirate.
But Garp remained unmoved, his gaze fixed forward. "Where are the others? Where is the rest of the Immortal Pirates?"
Kuzan dropped his usual lazy tone and nonchalant expression. His face was grim and serious. "Sit this war out, Garp-san."
The surrounding Marines gasped. Garp turned slightly to look at Kuzan, letting out a dry chuckle. "Asking a force of justice to retreat without a fight? Are you here as a lobbyist for the Immortal Pirates?"
"The Government isn't worth this kind of sacrifice from the Marines," Kuzan said. He shook his head, avoiding any further sentimental talk or flowery prose. He summarized his entire motivation into one sentence:
"I just don't want to watch you all die."
With that, Kuzan didn't linger. He jumped back down to the ice, mounted his bicycle, and began pedaling back the way he came.
"Vice Admiral Garp..." Koby stood behind Garp, summoning his courage to speak.
"What are you afraid of? Stay alert and prepare for battle," Garp said, his face shadowed. "That was nothing more than an enemy tactic meant to dull our nerves."
"Yes! Vice Admiral Garp!"
The thousand Marines on board stood at attention and saluted. They couldn't see Garp's face as he turned away from them, a face twisted in deep conflict.