Port of the Fire Kingdom.
"Woohoo! Let's go! What kind of adventure awaits us next?" Luffy stood at the ship's bow, raising his arms excitedly into the sea breeze.
The warmth of the festival lingered, and the interns' faces still glowed with the joy of recent celebrations.
"The Fleet Admiral is leaving!"
"Hurry! Bring out the gifts we prepared!"
On the shore, crowds surged toward the intern ship upon learning of its imminent departure.
They tossed prepared food and local specialties enthusiastically toward the vessel.
"Catch!"
"This is the Fire Kingdom's finest roasted meat!"
"And this! Flame Wine!"
Interns on the deck scrambled cheerfully to catch the flying provisions.
"Enough, enough! Any more and the ship will sink!" Usopp yelled dramatically, his arms full of gifts.
At the docks, several young women who had befriended Nami, Nojiko, and Koala during the Flame Festival waved vigorously, their eyes red-rimmed as they bid reluctant farewells.
Nearby, young men who had bonded with Franky, Usopp, and Chopper shouted hoarsely toward the ship.
"Hey! Don't forget to come back to the Fire Kingdom someday!"
"Wahhhhh... I'll never forget you all!" Franky cried, his signature pompadour hairstyle unmoving as tears and snot streamed down his face.
"You're all SUPER friends!"
Brook stood by the ship's railing, removing his top hat and bowing gracefully to the fans on shore who were crazy about him.
Having performed several songs continuously during the festival, he had already gained a large following.
"King of Rock!"
"Soul King!!"
The fans chanted in unison, their voices roaring like thunder.
Of course, the most popular at this moment had to be Ace.
His incredible fire control during the opening ceremony had earned him the undisputed title of "Flame King" for this year's Flame Festival.
A large crowd of devout citizens gathered at the port, hands clasped together, chanting in unison toward the training ship's direction.
"Farewell! Lord Flame King!"
Amidst the grand and enthusiastic farewells, the training ship slowly departed from the port, embarking on new adventures.
Shortly after the ship entered calm waters, Morgan hurried over to Orion with a Den Den Mushi in hand, his expression grave.
"Fleet Admiral!"
Orion had been leaning against the railing, gazing into the distance, and turned his head upon hearing the call.
"Just received an emergency communication from Lieutenant Rio stationed at the Sphinx base," Morgan's voice suppressed anger.
"The Whitebeard Pirates have suddenly appeared in full force in Sphinx waters! Their First Division Commander Marco has already landed on the island first and met with Rio!"
He grew increasingly furious as he spoke, his fists clenched so tightly they creaked.
"Whitebeard has some nerve! Daring to make such a big move while you're leading trainees on an inspection tour of the New World! Fleet Admiral, we must eliminate the Whitebeard Pirates immediately!"
After listening, Orion's face showed no trace of fluctuation.
He smiled and waved his hand. "No need to get angry, Morgan."
"Of course we'll eliminate the Whitebeard Pirates, but we don't necessarily have to use the same methods we employed against Beast and Big Mom."
Morgan was stunned, completely unable to understand the Fleet Admiral's meaning.
"Fleet Admiral, what do you mean?"
"Nothing much." Orion's gaze returned to the distant sea, his tone casual and light. "Sphinx is Whitebeard's hometown. They won't cause trouble. The training ship should continue to its scheduled destinations."
What kind of arrangement was this?
Just letting them be?
Morgan was filled with confusion, but his soldier's duty made him immediately stand at attention and salute.
"Yes! Everything as the Fleet Admiral commands!"
"Mmm," Orion nodded. "Contact the major Marine bases in the New World immediately. Tell them to ignore the Whitebeard Pirates' appearance at Sphinx. I have my own arrangements."
"Understood!"
Having received his orders, Morgan immediately turned and left.
He first contacted Admiral Sakazuki in Wano Country through an encrypted line, conveying the Fleet Admiral's orders.
Then, he called Admiral Kuzan's office at the Whole Cake Island Marine base.
Just after finishing his calls with the two Admirals, the Den Den Mushi in his hand rang urgently again.
Upon answering, the cold yet urgent voice of Vice Admiral Ain, the highest-ranking officer at G-5, came through.
"Captain Morgan! Marine Intelligence just reported detecting the entire Whitebeard Pirates fleet of over 50,000 members simultaneously appearing at Sphinx! Should the Marines respond?"
"I was just about to notify you," Morgan said gravely. "Since you've called, this works out perfectly. The Fleet Admiral has issued orders - all bases are to stand down and take no action. You are responsible for conveying this command to all Marine bases in the New World."
...
Meanwhile.
In the waters near Sphinx.
Dozens of pirate ships of various styles, clustered around the flagship Moby Dick, sailed majestically toward Sphinx harbor.
The sky-obscuring sails darkened the entire sea surface.
However, just as their fleet was about to enter the harbor channel, something unexpected occurred.
From within the harbor, hundreds of fishing boats and merchant ships of all sizes suddenly raised their sails and shot out like arrows from their bows, charging directly toward the massive fleet of the Whitebeard Pirates!
On the deck of the lead fishing boat, a shirtless middle-aged man stood at the bow holding a curved blade and shouted.
"Listen up, everyone!"
"The Marines are watching us! We are Sphinx's first line of defense!"
"For the home we've worked so hard to build, are you prepared to die?!"
"Oooohhhh—!"
All the civilians aboard the civilian vessels raised their fishing spears, wooden clubs, and kitchen knives, shouting in waves.
"For our home, we'll never retreat even if it means death!"
At that moment, a standard Marine warship shot out from the harbor at even greater speed. Standing on its deck was the pale-faced Lieutenant Rio.
He never expected the people of Sphinx to be this fierce and unyielding!
This was the Whitebeard Pirates, and with their entire force pressing forward, these people actually dared to organize themselves and launch a charge before he could even arrive!
As the highest-ranking commander in Sphinx, he couldn't just stand by and watch this battle unfold.
With the warship's engine roaring at full speed, Rio grabbed the loudspeaker nearby and shouted hoarsely.
"Stop the boats ahead! Stop right now! That's an order!"
"Repeat! All vessels! Stop immediately!"
Under his desperate shouts, the massive civilian fleet charging toward the Whitebeard Pirates finally reluctantly slowed down.
...
Meanwhile, on the deck of the Moby Dick.
Whitebeard stared in astonishment at the dense cluster of civilian boats charging toward him on the horizon.
The division commanders behind him looked at each other in confusion, completely unable to understand what was happening.
After a brief moment of surprise, Whitebeard suddenly burst into laughter.
"Gurararara, as expected of my hometown!"
"The folk customs here are so simple and adorable!"