"What did you say?!"
The cigar in Paulie's mouth fell to the ground in shock. He immediately roared in fury:
"That bastard Spandam... How could he issue such a terrifying order?!"
Will replied calmly:
"Because the other party possesses a golden Den Den Mushi bestowed by a high-ranking Marine officer."
"This small device, which symbolizes the authority and might of the Marines, can activate a Buster Call with just a single press. It doesn't matter who you are—Marineford only recognizes orders, not people."
"Hey!"
Franky couldn't stay calm any longer. He struggled to his feet and shouted anxiously:
"This is ridiculous!"
"To hand over something that terrifying so easily to a worthless piece of trash like him!"
Issho also frowned deeply, his tone filled with puzzlement:
"I wonder which high-ranking Marine official it was. This old man finds their decision truly difficult to comprehend."
"Who knows."
Will shifted his gaze, speaking thoughtfully.
Even he couldn't understand why Admiral Aokiji would grant Buster Call authority to scum like Spandam. However, he was too lazy to dwell on it and quickly changed the subject:
"There's no point thinking about that now. First, we need to move the city's residents to higher ground for shelter as quickly as possible."
"Iceberg, where is the strongest defensive location in the inner city right now?"
Iceberg had already regained his composure. Hearing the question, he immediately understood Will's intention and replied thoughtfully:
"The sturdiest places should be the city's designated shelters, the large warehouses, and our Galley-La Company Headquarters."
"Water 7 frequently suffers from Aqua Laguna—those massive tsunamis. That's why we've built many reinforced shelters specifically for evacuation."
As he spoke, his eyes flickered slightly. He stroked his chin and calmly analyzed:
"It just so happens that an Aqua Laguna is very likely to strike soon. I can use this as an excuse to issue an emergency disaster warning."
"That way, the citizens can evacuate in an orderly fashion and avoid unnecessary chaos from panic."
"Perfect, that's for the best."
Will's eyes lit up with satisfaction. He immediately gave instructions:
"Then the evacuation and sheltering of the citizens will be left to you, Mayor."
"As for you foremen, along with Nami, Carina, Chopper, and Robin—you'll all stay inside the Headquarters."
"As for the Marines summoned by the Buster Call... leave them to me, Issho, and Enel."
Nami, Robin, and the others nodded slightly, offering no objections.
However, the three foremen looked at President Iceberg with some hesitation.
Iceberg didn't say much, only asking seriously:
"You're about to face a Buster Call. Are you sure you can handle it?"
Will couldn't help but smile. He turned around and replied confidently:
"Don't worry. The three of us are very strong."
"Even if an Admiral shows up, the three of us together can fight them evenly."
Seeing the genuine confidence in Will's eyes and realizing he wasn't exaggerating, Iceberg nodded gravely:
"Then the safety of Water 7 is entrusted to the three of you!"
Will nodded in acknowledgment. Without another word, he turned to Enel—who looked eager for battle—and Issho, whose expression was slightly serious.
"Let's go."
With that, he vanished from his spot and quickly left the Galley-La Company Headquarters.
Seeing this, Enel and Issho didn't linger either. They flashed away and followed right after him.
Once the three of them had left, the room fell into sudden silence.
At that moment, Iceberg seemed to remember something. He turned to Franky and reminded him:
"Oh, Franky, you should tell your subordinates to evacuate as well."
"Huh?! Oh right! My little brothers are still at Franky House!"
Franky, who had looked exhausted, suddenly widened his eyes and shouted anxiously:
"Hey! What are you waiting for? Untie these ropes already!"
Iceberg immediately turned his head. "Paulie!"
"Got it."
Paulie walked over, grabbed the ropes, and yanked hard—spinning Franky like a top until all the ropes came undone.
Once he steadied himself, Franky didn't waste another second. He sprinted toward the kitchen, grabbed three bottles of cola from the refrigerator, opened his abdominal energy compartment, and swapped out the empty ones.
His back suddenly blasted out powerful jets of air. Instantly energized, his hairstyle spiked up again. He couldn't help but throw his head back and shout:
"Uhh... SUUUPER~!"
Knowing time was short, he skipped any extra poses and rushed straight out of the Galley-La Headquarters, heading for Franky House.
Meanwhile, back inside the room.
After putting away the ropes, Paulie lit another cigar, took a deep drag, and muttered worriedly:
"Can those three really defeat an entire Marine force...?"
In contrast, Nami, Carina, and the others were full of confidence.
Robin, upon hearing Paulie's concern, couldn't help but recall the destruction of Ohara and the overwhelming power of Will and his two companions. Her eyes grew resolute as she said seriously:
"Don't worry. They will definitely win."
"Water 7 will never be destroyed by a Buster Call again."
Accompanied by the urgent alarms blaring across the city, the citizens of Water 7 began carrying their most important belongings in bags of all sizes and quickly left their homes.
Under the orderly guidance of numerous shipwrights and the three foremen, nearly all the citizens swiftly took refuge in the various shelters within the inner city area.
Important materials and goods were also transported by the shipwrights to the more secure warehouses deeper in the city.
Iceberg stood on a balcony of the Galley-La Company Headquarters, gazing at the increasingly gloomy sky in the distance. He murmured to himself:
"It's a good thing the weather really is changing. Otherwise, clear skies might have made the citizens suspicious."
He then looked down at the three foremen who had just returned. Any suspicion he once held toward them had long since vanished.
With that, Iceberg turned and headed back into his office, intending to make even more thorough preparations for whatever might come after this incident.
Amid the tense atmosphere hanging over Water 7, time quietly passed.
Several hours later.
In the waters surrounding Water 7, a massive fleet of Marine warships suddenly appeared.
These giant vessels approached from five different directions, gradually forming a pincer formation as they advanced toward the city.
Will and the other two, who had been waiting on the city's outer wall for some time, turned their heads almost simultaneously toward the distant sea horizon.
"They're finally here."
Upon spotting the approaching warships, the three immediately followed their pre-arranged plan and each headed toward a different direction.
Will chose the closest one—the direction with the largest number of Marine warships.
On the other side, the five Marine Vice Admirals were communicating via Den Den Mushi aboard their respective ships.
Nezumi: "You all heard what Admiral Aokiji said earlier, right?"
Yamakaji: "Yeah. I didn't expect this Buster Call to involve that 'Madman' Will."
Doberman: "Hmph, so what? Facing a Buster Call, even he has nowhere to run!"
Ghost Spider: "Daring to attack a Celestial Dragon—that hateful criminal must die here today!"
Vice Admiral Strawberry: "No need to say more. The moment we see him, we take him out."
The five Vice Admirals spoke one after another. None of them seemed to take the 700 million berry bounty criminal 'Madman' Will particularly seriously.
As the Marine warships drew closer to Water 7, the fleets led by Ghost Spider, Doberman, and Nezumi almost simultaneously received reports from their lookouts.
"Vice Admiral! There's no one visible in the city ahead!"
"But there's a single person standing on the high wall surrounding the city!"
The three lookouts felt an overwhelming sense of dread just from observing the figure through their binoculars. What terrified them most was that the moment they focused on the person, the figure immediately turned their head—as if they had sensed the gaze from afar.
"Hmm?!"
The three Vice Admirals frowned at the report and quickly raised their own binoculars.
When Ghost Spider saw the man standing there with his hands in his pockets, a cold smile formed at the corner of his mouth:
"Excellent. I actually ran into you, 'Madman' Will!"
"Not only did you not run away, you even dared to face us head-on. You're simply courting death!"
Doberman, after lowering his binoculars, recalled the information on the target and muttered disdainfully:
"A blind man... That must be the 'Blind Swordsman' Issho, the one traveling with 'Madman' Will. Bounty of 60 million berries."
"What a shame I didn't encounter 'Madman' Will himself. The merit would have been much greater."
Meanwhile, Nezumi's brows furrowed when he saw the unfamiliar figure with four drums on his back. He didn't lower his guard and immediately ordered:
"No matter who that guy is, once we're in range, open fire on his position immediately!"
Compared to the three Marine Vice Admirals, Will and his two companions remained perfectly calm. Fully aware of their own strength, each was quietly preparing themselves.
Even though each of those Marine warships was over a hundred meters long, none of the three felt even the slightest trace of fear.
"A total of five warships. Looks like they're quite a bit stronger than the ones in the other directions."
Will gazed at the imposing Marine fleet in the distance, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.
The other four directions only had three ships each, but this fleet had two extra. Clearly, the leading Vice Admiral here was no ordinary officer.
As the Marine warships drew closer, the three Vice Admirals issued their orders without hesitation:
"Fire!"
Bang! Bang! Bang—!!
Three massive cannonballs, each larger than a person, instantly shot out from the bow cannons with thunderous roars.
Watching the black projectiles hurtling toward him at high speed, Will remained calm. He didn't even take his hands out of his pockets. With a casual sweep of his leg:
"Tempest Kick: Rifting Sea—!!"
A gigantic pale blue crescent-shaped slash roared forward, instantly slicing the three cannonballs in half and continuing onward toward one of the distant Marine warships.
Vice Admiral Ghost Spider immediately vanished from his position. When he reappeared in mid-air, six blades were already in front of him—two held in his hands and four formed from his hair.
The next second, the slash arrived. Ghost Spider swung all six blades together to block it, successfully shattering the attack in mid-air.
"As expected of Vice Admiral Ghost Spider!"
Some of the panicked Marines on the warship couldn't help but cheer.
Ghost Spider paid them no mind. He landed gracefully on the deck, six blades in hand, cigar still in his mouth, his eyes filled with disdain.
"Hmph. 'Madman' Will, is that all you've got?"
On the other side, Enel dealt with the incoming cannonballs in an even simpler and more brutal fashion.
He slowly raised his left hand and flicked out three streaks of lightning with a grin.
The lightning was far faster than the cannonballs. It struck and detonated them in mid-air before they could even get close.
—BOOM!!
Thick smoke billowed across the sky. By the time it began to clear, Enel had already disappeared from the wall.
At the same time, Issho had already sensed the three giant cannonballs flying straight toward him.
He slowly drew his cane sword and murmured in a deep voice:
"To offer such a generous gift right at our first meeting... this old man can hardly accept it."
As soon as his words fell, he swung his blade forward in a swift motion.
Several flashes of sword light appeared, and an invisible force slammed into the three incoming cannonballs.
The next second, the cannonballs violently reversed direction, flying back toward the Marine warships at even greater speed.
"Hmm?"
Doberman frowned at the bizarre sight and immediately ordered:
"Fire again! Intercept those cannonballs!"
"Yes sir!"
Bang! Bang! Bang—!!
Three more cannonballs roared out and collided with the returning ones in mid-air.
—BOOOOM!!!
After the violent explosion, thick smoke obscured the Marines' vision.
But Issho remained completely unaffected. He could still clearly "see" every movement on the distant warships.
Meanwhile, inside Water 7.
With violent explosions echoing from all directions around the city, many citizens began to sense that something was wrong.
However, since they had already reached the shelters and shipwrights were there to calm them, no major panic broke out.
Iceberg, back at the Headquarters, had returned to the balcony. Listening to the continuous explosions, he silently prayed:
"You must win... those three brave adventurers!"
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