Holy Land Mariejois.
Inside Pangaea Castle.
The Five Elders, the highest authority in the world, were gathered once again.
Saint Topman Warcury spoke first, his tone low and heavy.
"There has been new progress on Claude's side. News of that Devil Fruit has already been leaked to Rocks. As a Dark–Dark Fruit user, he will not be able to resist that fruit's temptation. He is certain to walk straight into the trap we prepared."
"At that time, we can completely erase the threat known as the Rocks Pirates."
Hearing this good news, the other Elders all showed a reaction.
On Saint Jaygarcia Saturn's stern face, a rare, almost imperceptible smile appeared.
"Then we go all in. There cannot be even half a mistake," he said. "We will remove the Rocks Pirates and use this as a warning to all who sail these seas. Oppose the World Government and there will be no good end."
"We can talk about that after," Saint Marcus Mars cut in, shifting the topic. "For now, the priority is to rescue the Eggbert family from Rocks' hands. If he really holds a public execution of Celestial Dragons, it will damage the World Government's prestige."
The bald Elder, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, was also concerned. He asked,
"How is the rescue operation progressing?"
His gaze fell on Warcury.
Warcury replied,
"There has been some progress, but the overall situation is still not optimistic. According to the reports, the special forces the Navy dispatched went straight for the prison on Beehive Island. Their aim seems to be releasing the inmates, throwing Beehive Island into chaos."
"As for CP0, they have already captured an important member of the Rocks Pirates, Shakky. They are attempting to extract information about the Celestial Dragons from her."
"On top of that…"
"CP0 has also taken children from the Charlotte family as a second rescue option. They plan to use those children as bargaining chips for an exchange."
When he finished his report, the other four Elders all showed different expressions.
Some nodded in satisfaction.
Some frowned in thought.
None were relaxed.
Warcury continued,
"Beehive Island is, after all, Rocks' territory. His troops are many and powerful. Our deployed forces are far weaker than the Rocks Pirates. To have made it this far, I am already quite satisfied."
"There are still a few days left. With any luck, they will manage to rescue the Eggbert family from Beehive Island. But we must also prepare for the worst and begin laying the groundwork for a plan to exterminate the Rocks Pirates."
…
Warehouse district.
Everywhere Ares looked, there was nothing but rows upon rows of colorful containers.
A sharp gleam gathered in his eyes as he activated his Observation Haki.
"Over there."
He sensed something through the Haki's feedback and his face lit up. He strode straight toward a stack of containers on the right side of the district.
Any container that blocked his path, he simply swept aside like weeds.
Standing in front of one specific container, Ares could clearly feel multiple life signs inside.
But his brows suddenly furrowed. A hint of panic flashed across his eyes as he muttered,
"Katakuri…"
"There's no sign of Katakuri's presence."
There was only one possibility.
Katakuri was not here.
Ares pulled the container door open.
Inside the dim metal box, countless small figures were curled up together. Their hands and feet were bound, and even their mouths were wrapped tightly with tape. All they could make were muffled, sobbing sounds.
The moment they saw Ares, every child's eyes lit up with hope.
Ares reached out and ripped the tape from the mouth of the eldest son, Perospero, and asked anxiously,
"Perospero, where is Katakuri?! Why are only you here? Where did he go?!"
"He was taken away by CP0!!" Perospero answered, his face pale. "I don't know where they took him."
Then he added a crucial detail.
"It was only ten or so minutes ago…"
Ares' brows drew even tighter together as he swiftly untied the ropes binding Perospero.
One step late.
"Damn it!!"
He could not hold the curse back. His fist smashed into the container wall.
With a thunderous bang, a huge hole was blown open.
Light poured in through the gap.
Most of the sky was already sinking into dusk, dark clouds swallowing half of it. Only a sliver of horizon still glowed with the last orange afterglow of sunset.
"Even if I have to flip Beehive Island upside down, I will drag you out from whatever hole you're hiding in!!!"
Ares threw his head back and roared.
The veins bulged on his neck, his figure terrifying and wild.
Gales erupted around him, rushing outward like a violent flood smashing through everything in its way.
"Ares!!"
Wang Zhi, clad in golden armor, rushed over and called out.
Seeing the gathered children of the Charlotte family around Ares, his face brightened.
"Ares, you found the kids?!"
"We're still missing Katakuri," Ares replied hoarsely, his voice low and rough.
The rage inside him was still piled high, scraping against its limit.
At that moment, even Wang Zhi did not dare touch this almost god–or–devil–like Ares head on.
He chose his words carefully.
"They can't have gone far. I'll have my men search all night, no one sleeps until we find them."
"Fine."
Ares had no interest in talking more.
…
Inside the prison.
Corpses lay scattered in piles. Blood covered the ground in a thick, dark layer.
Whitebeard Newgate was breathing heavily, his massive chest rising and falling hard.
His huge frame was also marked by several bloody wounds.
"These guys all have serious strength, and their tricks are endless. No wonder they made such a name for themselves out on the seas. Even I, Whitebeard, almost got caught off guard a few times."
He muttered to himself, genuinely impressed.
A number of those pirates possessed strange Devil Fruit powers, and they had indeed caused him quite a bit of trouble.
But in the end, he had cut every last one of them down.
The battle finally over, he simply let himself drop to the ground, sitting down to recover his strength.
"Even though I took out a lot of them, a big batch still slipped out in the chaos. Add that bastard Garp into the mix and I doubt Shiki outside could stop them all."
"How did they even get to the fifth and sixth levels of the prison without anyone noticing…?"
In the heat of battle, he had no time to think.
Now that it was over, Whitebeard finally had a moment to turn it over in his mind.
He was not stupid.
In the end, his suspicion locked onto one person.
"Must have been that kid, using some special method or ability to reach those lower levels and open the cells."
"Next time I run into Garp, I'll have to deal with that brat first."
Footsteps echoed through the now quiet prison corridor.
A pirate spotted Whitebeard and his face lit up with relief. He ran over at full speed and reported,
"Captain, there is news I need to report to you!"
"Did you bring any booze?"
Whitebeard ignored the urgency in the man's voice and went straight to the most important question in his heart.
The pirate fumbled out a small flask from inside his clothes.
Newgate snatched it in one big hand and poured the contents straight down his throat.
He smacked his lips.
"Too little. When we get back, I'm having a proper drink."
For an ordinary man, that little flask was almost a full cattie of liquor.
For Whitebeard, six meters tall, it was barely enough to wet his teeth.
Savoring the leftover burn of the alcohol, he finally asked,
"Alright, speak. What is it?"
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