Watching the Straw Hat Pirates reminisce about the past, Drake offered a heartfelt smile. So this is the full Straw Hat crew.
Indeed!
Ever since setting sail, Luffy had been determined to gather a complete crew of ten companions. Now, including Vivi, their total count stood at exactly ten.
Since they were already companions, what reason could there ever be to step off the ship?
"All right! Dragon Flag Pirates, prepare to set sail! Target: The Holy Land of Mary Geoise!" Drake declared with a grand wave of his arm, stepping toward the Going Guard.
Since Vivi no longer needed to return to Arabasta, they had to navigate at absolute full speed to reach the battleground of Mary Geoise as quickly as possible.
How could their brothers miss out on an epoch-making war like this?
Thick columns of propulsion fire erupted from the rear of the Going Guard once more, thrusting through the ocean waves at maximum speed.
Because the distance was quite vast, this long-distance voyage had consumed roughly eighty percent of the wealth acquired from Big Mom. While they hadn't hit rock bottom financially just yet, it was better to practice a bit of conservation—otherwise, even if they reached their destination this time, subsequent voyages might be left stranded.
The group stood aboard the Going Guard, staring ahead into the horizon. Deep gravity marked their gazes, yet their expressions preserved an indescribable calmness.
Every single individual present was a seasoned veteran of the sea—two Emperor crews and the executive officers of the Revolutionary Army. Any single one of them was enough to trigger a massive sensation across the world.
And so, the Going Guard navigated at top speed, executing short-range spatial warps whenever obstacles blocked their path, surging toward the Holy Land of Mary Geoise where the Celestial Dragons resided.
Sometime after Drake and his crew departed, a lone figure materialized along the shoreline where they had just stood.
It was the Vice-Captain of the Arabasta Royal Guard, Pell the Falcon—a user of the Tweet-Tweet Fruit, Model: Falcon.
Pell transformed into his falcon form and soared straight toward the royal palace of the Arabasta Kingdom.
Upon arriving at the palace, Pell immediately sought an audience with King Cobra, Vivi's father.
"Pell, you've returned! What about Vivi..." Cobra, who had been pacing anxiously across the main hall, rushed forward the moment he spotted Pell.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Princess has departed with the Straw Hat Pirates. There is absolute zero need to worry about her safety."
Pell continued, "Furthermore, there is another matter Your Majesty has likely already received dispatches about."
"Is that news actually true?!" Hearing this, Cobra's expression turned remarkably grave.
"It is true. The mythical Ancient Weapon excavated from our desert—Pluton—has been completely shattered and sunk to the bottom of the sea!"
"This... it's actually real..." Cobra said in utter disbelief. He felt the terrifying weight of Pluton's reputation more acutely than anyone else.
Others might have merely heard rumors of its name, but the royal family of Arabasta had essentially functioned as the designated guardians of Pluton across generations.
Its horror had been etched deep into the core of his soul.
Ever since receiving word of Pluton's resurrection, his nerves had been strained to the absolute limit; he hadn't dared to imagine what manner of hell this world-destroying weapon would inflict upon the world.
Yet just a short while ago, he had suddenly received news that Pluton had been destroyed. His initial reaction, naturally, had been complete disbelief.
However, upon hearing that the Straw Hat Pirates were involved, he couldn't help but lend a degree of trust to the report.
And Pell's words just now had completely dispelled the very last trace of doubt in his heart.
"Indeed. Had I not witnessed it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it either—that the mythical Ancient Weapon Pluton could be broken into shattered splinters so easily. That gargantuan cybernetic entity was simply too formidable!"
"By the way, what exactly was that giant cybernetic creature mentioned in the reports?" Cobra inquired.
He had originally harbored deep doubts about this "giant cybernetic creature," assuming the spotters had simply misidentified the target.
Hearing Pell bring up the giant mechanical entity again, he couldn't help but feel deeply astonished.
"That construct appeared to be a submarine at first, yet it seamlessly reconfigured its frame into a massive, humanoid mechanical titan. With a single punch, even the Ancient Weapon Pluton sustained a severe breach in its armor, unable to bear the load."
"What did you say?!" Cobra's eyes snapped wide in sheer shock.
"It is precisely as I described!" Pell nodded repeatedly.
"I see..." Cobra fell silent for a long moment before slowly walking over to the window. "That entity... is a force far more terrifying than an Ancient Weapon!"
"The Straw Hat Pirates... the Legendary Four Brothers... you truly are the leaders of this era..."
"Your Majesty..." Seeing his king fall into quiet contemplation, Pell opened his mouth to offer a gentle reminder. Cobra waved his hand, signaling that there was no need to say more.
"As long as Vivi is traveling alongside the Straw Hat Pirates, she is absolutely safe. Knowing that, my mind is completely at ease," Cobra added softly.
"Very well, go get some rest, Pell. If the ones wielding that kind of power are Luffy and his crew, I believe there will be no issues whatsoever." A warm smile broke across Cobra's face as he spoke.
Seeing his king like this, Pell smiled as well. "Understood, Your Majesty!"
He turned and walked toward the exit.
"Hey, Pell, you bastard, you're back!" Chaka, the Captain of the Royal Guard, and Igaram came walking up from the opposite direction, with Chaka throwing an arm over Pell's shoulder.
"Hey! Is Princess Vivi all right? If anything happened to her, I'm never forgiving you!" Igaram added anxiously.
"Hahaha... Ma-ma-ma..."
"The Princess is completely fine, naturally. However, she has set sail with the Straw Hat Pirates once again."
"Set sail?! As the Princess of this realm, she...!" Igaram gasped in surprise, instinctively starting to object before catching himself and cutting his own words short.
"Well... it is time she lived for her own heart."
"Exactly. Though... with the Princess out at sea, you're going to have your hands full from here on out..."
"Hahaha..."
Before long, the three of them were bantering together, breaking into bright, hearty laughter.
Meanwhile, on an island situated within the Calm Belt—Amazon Lily, also known as Maiden Island.
This was the sovereign territory governed by the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock. Formerly one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the abolition of the Warlord system during the Reverie had stripped her of her immunity, reducing her and her people back to common pirates.
Precisely because of this paradigm shift, the Navy had already launched an assault against them.
Leading a fleet of Navy warships to subdue the Pirate Empress was none other than the newly minted, young Rear Admiral—Koby!
Currently, the battle lines were drawn and both sides were fully deployed. Though Koby commanded several heavy warships, the military prowess of Maiden Island was far from something to be taken lightly.
Armament Haki was an ability virtually every warrior on this island naturally commanded, rendering ordinary soldiers completely outmatched against them.
The invading Navy forces were no exception.
Along the shoreline of Kuja Island, the Empress sat proudly upon her throne, gazing indifferently at the warships billowing thick columns of black smoke before her.
The outcome of this battle was practically a foregone conclusion. Before the Empress had even stepped into the fray, the Kuja arrows had already blasted countless holes through the hulls of the warships.
"Incompetent Marines, withdraw at once! Not a single man is permitted to step foot within the boundaries of Kuja Island. Transgressors shall be executed without mercy!"
As she spoke, the Empress tilted her head high in absolute disdain, extending a slender finger to point directly at Koby, who stood at the absolute front of the lead warship.