Three of the World Pirates' ships glided into the narrow port of Rubec Island, leaving only one pirate ship isolated on the choppy sea outside as a rearguard.
The weather was turning aggressively hostile.
Due to the low-pressure system Raleigh had noted earlier, a chilling, damp air swept down from the cliffs, cutting through clothing and settling into bones.
"Cough, cough, cough..." The moment Byojack encountered the cold air, he burst into a fit of loud, hacking coughing that shook his frail frame.
"World," he wheezed, wiping his mouth. "We must not delay. Let's hurry to the Donquixote Family base. Get the iron inside."
Byojack did not want the World Pirates to linger here for too long.
After all, the Marines on the Grand Line could hardly ever catch them because they never stopped moving.
But here, pinned against an island? It felt wrong.
"Oh~ Don't worry, brother. I'm here arent i?" Byrnndi World boomed, stepping forward to shield his brother from the wind with his massive body.
Ever since his bounty had been raised to 410 million, pirates in the North Blue had gone mad.
They scrambled to join the ranks of the World Pirates, eager for glory.
To maintain the crew's combat strength, World had even set up brutal elimination matches.
Thus, every person who successfully joined could be considered outstanding.
Yet, this very success filled Byojack with extraordinary fear.
He always suspected that intelligence agents had infiltrated their ranks—spies from the World Government, the Marines, maybe even rival Emperors.
Seeing his younger brother become a bounty powerhouse, Byojack grew even more cautious.
He inspected ships daily, confiscated Den Den Mushis, and forbade unnecessary stops.
In recent days, even Byrnndi World had grown somewhat dissatisfied with his paranoid brother.
"This is the North Blue, not the New World!" World argued. "Even if Garp or Sengoku were coming, I wouldn't back down! Let alone some backwater Vice Admiral!"
"Don't overthink it, brother!" World slapped a cannon barrel. "We have these! Once we build the big one, we rule the sea!"
"I'm fine, World," Byojack lied, his face pale. "Let's just unload the Fine Iron quickly."
He hoped his inner premonition was wrong.
But the closer they got to the shore, the more a sense of crushing crisis emerged in his heart.
....
Several nautical miles away.
A Marine warship bearing the "Justice" sails waited quietly in the mist, its engines humming low.
The person leading them was none other than the North Blue Commander, Vice Admiral Borsalino.
He had shed his usual lazy demeanor.
With a grave expression, he observed the movements of the World Pirates through high-powered binoculars.
"Report, VIce Admiral Borsalino," an adjutant whispered. "Admiral Sengoku from the Headquarters will arrive here shortly. His ship just cleared the horizon."
Borsalino showed no surprise.
It was he who had reported Byrnndi World's movements to Sengoku.
There was no other way—a few days ago in the Marine base office, both he and Raleigh understood immediately when they learned Sengoku was coming.
If Sengoku came, the credit for capturing Byrnndi World would fall to him.
"Old fox," they had both cursed in unison.
Subsequently, Raleigh took Doflamingo and arrived first at the Donquixote Family's location to set the trap.
Borsalino had shadowed World's fleet from a distance.
And now, Sengoku arrived, albeit belatedly.
But as the saying goes, it's better to be lucky than early.
Sengoku's timing was remarkably coincidental.
One day earlier, World would have been lost at sea. One day later, the battle would be over.
He arrived exactly in time for the climax.
"Long time no see, Admiral Sengoku," Borsalino drawled as the golden-clad legend stepped onto his deck.
"You've finally come to the freezing North Blue. That Byrnndi World is truly terrifying~ His strength is monstrously fearsome." Borsalino complained incessantly, playing up the danger.
Sengoku acted as if he didn't hear him.
Having interacted with Borsalino for years, he knew the man's character.
Despite Borsalino's claims of fear, in an actual fight with World, it would likely be an even match.
World might not even be able to touch a fully evasive Borsalino.
"You," Sengoku shook his head, frustration evident in his voice. "If you fought as desperately as Sakazuki, I wouldn't have needed to make this trip."
Although Borsalino verbally apologized, his mind was clear.
Byrnndi World, before creating that cannon, was merely a tough nut to crack.
Not an existential threat.
The reason Headquarters sent Sengoku even after Borsalino and Raleigh were already here was simply politics.
Under the banner of avenging his comrades—the dead Zakri and the World Government officials—Sengoku would eliminate a major pirate.
Once this is reported, the entire Marine organization and the public will praise Sengoku's character.
He will gain the World Government's approval.
This was Sengoku's goal.
He needed public opinion to build momentum.
As long as his influence grew, the likelihood of him succeeding Kong as the next Fleet Admiral increased.
"Let's cut to the chase," Sengoku said, adjusting his glasses. "How many people did Byrnndi World bring to the island?"
Given World's formidable reputation, the Marine warships had anchored far offshore to avoid detection by his Observation Haki.
Even with the highest-precision telescope, the pirates appeared no larger than ants swarming the docks.
"Admiral Sengoku! Vice Admiral Borsalino!" A messenger rushed onto the deck, clutching a freshly printed document from a portable fax machine.
"Rear Admiral Raleigh has sent a report from the island!"
Sengoku snatched it and scanned the contents.
Borsalino leaned in to read alongside him.
"That brat Raleigh," Sengoku chuckled wryly. "He's getting ahead of himself, trying to steal the spotlight like this."
The report detailed Raleigh's bold—and risky—request.
He was already on the island.
He requested permission to engage Byrnndi World in combat immediately, to pin him down while the fleet moved into position.
Though Byrnndi World was widely known for his destructive capabilities, his actual personal combat prowess, while high, wasn't invincible.
His threat stemmed from his More-More Fruit turning projectiles into city-killers.
Sengoku estimated World's personal strength to be around that of an elite Vice Admiral.
Raleigh could hold him.
"Relay the order," Sengoku commanded, his voice hardening. "Raleigh may engage Byrnndi World. But he must not lose."
He looked at the island.
"He must hold him there until we destroy all the pirate ships and cut off their retreat. Tell him: don't die."
In reality, this demand wasn't particularly difficult for Raleigh.
It was exactly what he wanted.
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