dmims Chapter 71: Red Team Escapes, Akainu Attacks
Chapter 71: Red Team Escapes, Akainu Attacks
The deathly silence of the battlefield in the Drum Kingdom was broken.
The elites of the Baroque workshop all reverted to their original forms and fell into a coma. Only a faint smell of burnt sulfur remained in the air.
The residents were still in shock, but their gazes toward the "female version of Garp" in the sky were filled with awe and gratitude.
However, the crisis for the Red Team was not over.
"Luffy—!!!"
On the dog-headed warship, True Garp stared intently at his grandson, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger and heartache.
"You brat! You really are here! And Sabo too! You two troublesome bastards: get your ass over here!"
General Kuzan also regained his icy demeanor, but his eyes remained sharp.
"Straw Hat Luffy, Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff Sabo, and... Princess Vivi of Alabasta. You are suspected of participating in the Holy Grail War, which threatens world security, and associating with extremely dangerous Heroic Spirits. Please surrender and accept the Navy's investigation."
His chilling aura spread silently, blocking any escape route on the sea.
Smoker, with a freshly lit cigar dangling from his lips, gazed at Vivi.
"Princess Vivi, if you are being coerced, now is your chance to escape danger!"
He instinctively categorized Weiwei as a victim.
The feathered serpent hero in the air carries a dinosaur toy, his huge sunglasses turned towards Luffy, and his cheerful smile carries a hint of friendliness.
"Hey! You brat in the straw hat! I'm talking to you, my good grandson!"
Luffy stood there looking around, his expression calm with a hint of naivety.
"Hmm? Grandson, are you the grandmother I've never met before?"
"I am your grandpa, you silly boy! You look quite energetic! But..."
She abruptly changed the subject, her tone carrying an undeniable air of authority.
"Where has Roger gone? Tell me now! My Iron Fist can't wait to catch up with them! And by the way..."
She looked at Weiwei, her tone softening slightly: "Little girl, don't be afraid. With me here, no one can force you to do something you don't want to do!"
Faced with the triple pressure of a naval hero, an admiral, and a "naval hero" whose terrifying strength allows them to instantly kill powerful enemies, the Straw Hat crew is under immense pressure!
"snort!"
Ramses II snorted coldly, slamming his scepter heavily on the ground with a dull thud, and his body instantly shone with intense sunlight.
Like a second sun rising, he fearlessly met the divine power emanating from Quetzal.
His molten gold pupils burned with the fury of being offended and the domineering majesty of looking down upon the world.
"How dare a mere mortal speak so arrogantly before me, attempting to take away my Master? Such overstepping deserves divine punishment!"
He pointed his scepter, and terrifying energy began to gather, its target the dog-headed warship.
The Pharaoh's dignity cannot be challenged! Even if the opponent displays the powerful strength of the sun god, he is fearless.
This terrifying energy has also attracted great attention from the Navy. Aokiji and Garp are poised to unleash their power, and no Heroic Spirit should be underestimated!
"Your Majesty! Please wait!" Vivi cried anxiously, clutching tightly to the corner of Ramses II's cloak.
She knew that engaging in a full-scale conflict with the Navy at this moment, especially against the unfathomable "Female Garp," would be the worst possible choice.
Sabo and Napoleon quickly exchanged a glance.
"Master!" Napoleon lowered his voice and spoke very quickly.
"A direct confrontation is unwise! They have that… 'Lady Sun,' whose strength is unfathomable, plus Aokiji blocking the sea, and Garp watching us intently! We must retreat immediately!"
Sabo instantly understood. He looked at Luffy and Roger, while Roger stood with his arms crossed, watching the confrontation between Ramses II and Quetzal with great interest, seemingly not too nervous.
"Luffy! Uncle Roger! Things are bad! Prepare to break out!"
Although Luffy was single-minded, he sensed that something was wrong. He lowered his straw hat and nodded seriously, a rare occurrence for him.
"Okay! Got it!"
Just then, the inhabitants of the Drum Kingdom took action.
The old woman from before rushed shakily between the naval ship and the Red Team, opened her arms, and shouted with all her might.
"Sirs Marines! Please stop! They are good people!"
"It was Straw Hat Guy and Mr. Sabo who saved us!"
"That princess and her 'Sun God' protected us!"
"Captain Dalton can testify! They helped us build the shelter, and Dr. Chopper saved so many lives!"
"Without them, we would have been killed by those monsters long ago!"
More and more residents, young and old, spontaneously poured out. They were unarmed, their faces filled with fear yet unwavering determination.
They formed a fragile yet powerful human wall, blocking the naval warships from the Red Team!
"Please spare our benefactors!" "Please!" Pleading and expressions of gratitude rose and fell.
This sudden scene caught the navy off guard.
Vice Admiral Garp looked at the ordinary people blocking Luffy's way, their faces full of pleading, and his clenched fists trembled slightly.
He believes in "justice" and protecting civilians is his duty. Yet now he is arresting his grandson, who is also protecting those he is protecting, right in front of them.
This caused him immense inner turmoil.
Kuzan frowned, and the chilling aura emanating from him subsided somewhat.
He looked at Dalton, who nodded vigorously, his eyes earnest.
"Vice Admiral Garp, Admiral Kuzan! Everything they said is true! The Straw Hat crew, Mr. Sabo, and Princess Vivi are our Drum Kingdom's benefactors! Please... please show mercy!"
As a former captain of the Kingdom's Guard, Dalton's words carried considerable weight.
Smoker, with a cigar dangling from his lips and surrounded by smoke, glanced at Princess Vivi, who was being protected by the residents and was anxiously pulling on Raja II.
His doubts deepened.
Could it be... that Princess Vivi really wasn't coerced?
The most unexpected reaction came from the feathered serpent in the air.
Looking down at the civilians who were spontaneously protecting their "benefactor," a hint of approval flashed in her eyes, which were a mixture of Garp's and Quetzalcoatl's wills, behind her huge sunglasses.
The fierce fighting spirit emanating from her receded like the tide, replaced by a gentle radiance of a guardian.
"snort!"
She suddenly snorted, her voice lacking its previous murderous intent, but instead carrying a hint of awkwardness.
"Kuzan, Smoker! And me over there! Look! This is what the ocean should look like! The weak know how to be grateful, and the strong protect the weak! This is order!"
She carried the dinosaur doll, paced in the air for a couple of steps as if deep in thought, and then nearly flung "Pia" off with a wave of her hand.
"Alright, alright! I'm in a good mood today! For the sake of these principled commoners, and because that young girl doesn't seem to be being held hostage... I'll let you go this time!"
She looked at Gengarp and Kuzan, her tone carrying an unquestionable "advice".
"Hey! Me over there! And Kuzan too! Our navy is here to protect civilians! This island is a mess, that's the most urgent thing to do!"
She grinned, revealing her gleaming teeth.
"Once we've cleaned up this mess, we'll go find them in Alabasta. They can't escape anyway! My intuition is spot on!"
Gen Garp looked at Quetzal, then at the pleading crowd below, and then at Luffy and Sabo, who were being protected by the residents, and a smile appeared on his lips.
"Listen to her! Save them first! And clean up this mess on the island!"
Kuzan adjusted his glasses, reverting to his lazy demeanor: "Ah, I understand. Disaster relief is the priority."
He waved his hand, and the cold air transformed into an ice bridge extending towards the shore. Naval soldiers began to disembark in an orderly manner to assist in maintaining order and rescue operations.
Smoker nodded silently and began to direct the soldiers, but his gaze toward the direction the Red Team was retreating remained complicated.
Having gained this precious respite, Sabo smiled slightly: "Quick! Get on the ship!"
Under the grateful and reluctant gazes of the residents, and in the meantime while the navy was busy with disaster relief, the Red Team members acted swiftly.
Although Ramses II was displeased with the navy's pardon, he snorted coldly and withdrew his divine power at Vivi's urging.
He tapped his scepter lightly, and the Dark Night Sun Boat instantly descended from the clouds, hovering above the old castle.
"Hmph, I will remember what happened today."
He glanced coldly at the navy, especially at Quetzal in the air, before escorting Vivi onto the ship first.
Roger laughed and patted Luffy and Sabo on the shoulder: "Well done! Let's go, guys! Even bigger excitement awaits us in Alabasta!"
He easily jumped onto the boat.
Napoleon, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Usopp, and a new member—Chopper—quickly boarded the ship.
With tears in his eyes, Chopper bid farewell to the residents and Dr. Kureha.
Dalton stood before the castle and solemnly bowed to the rising golden ark.
"Dear benefactors! Safe journey! The Drum Kingdom will never forget you!"
The golden wings of the Dark Night Solar Ship suddenly unfurled, bursting forth with an even more dazzling light than before, and sped off toward Alabasta, leaving only a brilliant trail of light behind.
The Feathered Serpent Hero landed on the deck of the dog-headed warship, casually tossing the dinosaur doll "Pia" aside.
She stood with her hands on her hips, watching the golden ship sail away, a cryptic smile playing on her lips behind her enormous sunglasses.
The real Garp walked to her side, his expression returning to its usual carefree state, but with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
"Hey! Imposter, no, you there! What exactly are you? Why... why do you possess my power and... my senses?"
Quetzal turned his head, grinned, and revealed his gleaming teeth.
She patted Garp on the shoulder with such force that she almost knocked him into the deck.
"Hahahaha! Why am I worrying so much! Anyway, we're all in the same boat now—beat up Roger, catch 'Smoke,' and maintain order on the sea!"
"As for who I am?"
She pointed to herself: "Naval hero, Monkey D. Garp! The real deal! Kuzan can vouch for that, right?"
She looked at Kuzan.
Kuzan: "……(￣▽￣「)」What kind of testimony am I supposed to give!
Smoker silently picked up Garp's rice cracker bag, which had been knocked away by Quetzalcoatl, and handed it to his livid boss.
"Vice Admiral Garp... The most urgent task is to deal with the disaster in Drum Kingdom and report everything that happened here, as well as information about this 'Garp' lady, to Fleet Admiral Sengoku as soon as possible. The barriers and internal situation of Alabasta are the greater threat."
Garp snorted loudly, grabbed a handful of senbei (rice crackers), stuffed them into his mouth, and chewed them vigorously.
"Got it! Get to work! Tie those Baroque Workshop members up tight!"
The crisis in the Drum Kingdom has been temporarily averted, but the feud between the Red Team and the Navy has been established.
Alabasta's border boundary.
Dozens of warships slowly sailed towards us from the direction of the Navy Department.
Akainu stood at the bow of the ship, arms crossed: "Archer, prepare to enter! Open the barrier!"
After a while, dozens of warships sailed into the inherent barrier, and several lotus flowers bloomed on the slowly healing barrier.
Alabasta.
Karna, who was setting fire to the thorns blocking their path with Ace, suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with solemnity.
"Master, be careful..."