Although the Pluton battleship possessed terrifying destructive power, it was still far from truly being capable of destroying the world.
Now that Bundy World was dead and his Devil Fruit ability could no longer be used to enhance it, Pluton remained dangerous, but not enough to make Is feel threatened.
"It's time to go."
Is glanced around, making sure all of his companions had returned to the ship.
The vessel slowly began moving, preparing to leave the area.
"Wait, Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is!"
A shout suddenly came from the sea.
A drenched Garp emerged from the water.
"Garp?"
Is looked at him in confusion.
He had nearly forgotten that the Marines had come here as well.
Aside from their own ship, almost every vessel had been destroyed by the tsunami—including the Marine fleet.
Using Geppo, Garp stepped through the air and landed aboard Is's ship.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Sengoku, Tsuru, Zephyr, and numerous elite Marine Vice Admirals emerged from the sea one after another.
They also used Geppo to reach the ship.
"Damn that Edward Newgate! Not only did we fail to catch the Roger Pirates, he even destroyed our ships!"
Zephyr cursed angrily.
It was the first time he had ever ended up in such a miserable state.
"Edward Newgate should've sunk into the sea this time, right? There aren't any islands nearby for him to land on."
Garp wrung out his soaked clothes as he looked around.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but endless ocean.
There wasn't a single island in sight.
Whitebeard was a Devil Fruit user.
Falling into the sea should have been a death sentence.
"The last time that bastard Edward Newgate used his sea-quake ability to destroy an island, he somehow survived too. Who knows how he managed it?"
"But this time he should be dead. No Devil Fruit user can survive in seawater."
A Marine Vice Admiral voiced his opinion.
Boom!
Suddenly, a gigantic Sea King emerged from the ocean.
Whitebeard was riding atop it.
"Th-That's Edward Newgate!"
A Marine Vice Admiral pointed toward Whitebeard in shock.
"Did he tame a Sea King? How is that even possible? Can he communicate with them?"
Another Vice Admiral was equally astonished.
The Marines immediately erupted into discussion.
Everyone was stunned.
Only Is noticed something unusual.
The creature beneath Whitebeard wasn't a Sea King at all.
It was Kaido.
Currently, Kaido was in a half-fish, half-dragon form, giving him a bizarre appearance that could easily be mistaken for a Sea King.
What surprised Is most was that Whitebeard apparently had some sort of friendship with Kaido.
"I sense a familiar aura from that Sea King."
Madara stared at the creature carrying Whitebeard.
Something about it felt strangely familiar.
"I feel the same way."
Hashirama rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I can't shake the feeling that I've seen that Sea King before."
"That's Kaido."
Is chuckled.
"That's Kaido?"
Madara froze briefly before focusing his gaze on the creature again.
No wonder it felt familiar.
It was the pirate Kaido—the one he had beaten countless times.
"I remember that guy being human. How did he turn into a Sea King?"
Hashirama asked curiously.
"Have you forgotten already, Hashirama?"
Is replied leisurely.
"In this world, Devil Fruits can transform people into different species."
"That doesn't make sense. Devil Fruit users are supposed to become helpless in water. Why can he stay in the sea?"
"The world contains many different kinds of Devil Fruits."
Is explained.
"Some users aren't afraid of seawater."
Kaido's Fish-Fish Fruit was a special case.
Not only could he remain in the sea, but once the fruit reached a certain level of development, it even granted the ability to fly.
"Goodbye, Is!"
Whitebeard carried Murakumogiri on his back and waved toward the Marine ship while laughing loudly.
"Damn you, Edward Newgate! Open fire! Sink him immediately!"
Zephyr shouted furiously.
To the Marines, Whitebeard's farewell was nothing short of blatant provocation.
Unfortunately, before the warship could fire a single shot, Kaido had already carried Whitebeard away.
His speed in the ocean was astonishing.
Within moments, the two had vanished beyond the horizon.
The North Blue campaign had finally come to an end.
Bundy World was dead.
Yet the Pluton blueprints had not been recovered.
If no one found Bundy World's crew in time, the Ancient Weapon Pluton would eventually reappear in the world.
The emergence of a warship said to possess world-destroying power would undoubtedly plunge the seas into chaos.
No one particularly cared about the shipwrights or Bundy World's surviving subordinates.
But once Pluton appeared, it would inevitably become a treasure coveted by every major power on the seas.
Aboard a Marine warship, Is and his companions began their return journey to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
At last, the battle had come to its conclusion.
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