High above the Grand Line, thousands of meters in the sky, the towering Red Line that pierced into the clouds could be seen clearly.

The Straw Hat Pirates had never imagined they would see this place in such a way...

Their bodies were tightly restrained by fragments of their shattered ship, locked so firmly that they could not even struggle.

Far higher in the sky, Soter’s arm was coated in Armament Haki as he grabbed the unconscious Luffy. Using his ability, he sped through the air with Luffy and his crew.

Whoosh!

Carlo’s figure appeared in midair.

Sensing the sudden arrival, Soter did not look surprised at all. He simply activated his ability again, restoring the buoyancy that had originally been attached to the cape behind Carlo.

Floating through the air, Carlo flew over and asked, "So this is Fleet Admiral Sakazuki’s target?"

Soter looked at him and smiled. "That’s right, but he doesn’t seem particularly different. He’s far too weak, and so are his companions."

He handed the unconscious Luffy over to Carlo.

After taking him, Carlo sensed his aura and shook his head with a faint chuckle. "Indeed..."

Compared to Garp’s talent and strength, Luffy’s current aura really did not seem worthy of being his grandson. At this same age, Dragon had already been a Rear Admiral. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"But people still need time to grow. Fleet Admiral Sakazuki has never misjudged someone. There must still be something hidden within this guy."

Forcefully accelerating growth was one of the easiest things to do...

Soter nodded before asking, "What about the people below?"

Carlo looked down at the giant sphere made of ship fragments and replied calmly, "Take them to your floating fleet. After all, things like ’companions’ and ’partners’ are what pirates value most. They might become a useful catalyst later on."

As he spoke, he took out a device and handed it to Soter.

"The red dot on it marks the location of Dragon’s fleet. They are expected to arrive at the entrance of the Red Line the day after tomorrow. Return and prepare yourself. Act according to the situation when the time comes and launch the attack on Mariejois."

Soter accepted the device with the flashing red dot on its screen.

"Understood."

Carlo smiled faintly.

Whoosh!

He vanished instantly.

* * *

New World, Egghead Island.

Inside the secret laboratory above the clouds, Carlo appeared once more.

Whoosh!

"Haa..."

A trace of exhaustion could not be hidden.

Ever since the declaration of war at noon, he had barely stopped for even a moment. He had been teleporting across the world nonstop.

Rubbing his temples, Carlo carried the unconscious Luffy toward the laboratory.

Mechanical sounds echoed out as the doors slowly opened.

Inside were Vegapunk, several of his satellites, and Enel standing nearby.

Carlo casually greeted them before handing Luffy over to Vegapunk’s satellite, Shaka.

"Use the Ripe-Ripe Fruit together with the nutrient solution to accelerate his growth. Try and see whether it works. But make sure to restrain him tightly with Seastone."

Shaka nodded. "No problem."

Vegapunk himself did not step forward. After all, Luffy was Dragon’s son. He could not quite bring himself to do it personally, so he simply left it to his satellite.

Carlo then looked toward Vegapunk. "Doctor, are the evacuation preparations complete?"

Vegapunk nodded. "Ah... most of it has already been packed up. Don’t worry."

Carlo nodded. "Good. Let’s go, Enel."

Enel walked over with a relaxed expression as a slight smile curled on his lips. "So it’s finally that guy’s turn, huh. That damned red-haired bastard."

Carlo could not help but laugh. Enel really held quite a grudge against that peer of his...

Placing a hand on Enel’s shoulder, he activated his ability.

Whoosh!

The two instantly disappeared from Egghead Island.

* * *

New World, far behind Whole Cake Island and Wano Country.

A massive fleet stretched endlessly across the sea. Everything here was dark green, creating the feeling of a bizarre and eerie world.

Pirate ships passed right in front of the fleet without noticing anything unusual.

Everyone completely ignored its existence. Some ships even passed directly through the enormous fleet, yet nothing strange happened at all.

On top of a gigantic mechanical sea beast sat a humanoid doll with horns. Several thin electronic tubes extended from its back and connected to the giant beast beneath it.

It stood at the very front of the fleet, just like the warships behind it.

Like a predator hiding in darkness, it silently watched its prey walk step by step into the trap before swallowing them whole...

* * *

New World, unknown sea region.

The Red Hair Pirates’ Red Force sailed across the ocean.

Unlike Knox, who wandered alone without direction, the core members of the Red Hair Pirates had all survived. With Beckman’s vast knowledge, they could at least barely determine the correct direction.

However, because of the damaged ship and injured crew, it would still take some time to leave this world filled with magma and the smell of sulfur.

"Cough, cough."

Beckman’s coughing sounded out as he walked onto the deck.

He waved his hand in front of his face. The volcanic ash and sulfur in the air were far too irritating. Even with a strong body, continuously breathing it for twenty-four hours was difficult to endure.

"Are you alright, Shanks?"

After finishing the call, Shanks had walked out of the cabin and stood alone on the deck, seemingly lost in thought. Worried about him, Beckman had come out to check.

Shanks shook his head and spoke in a deep voice. "I’m fine. Don’t worry, Beckman."

His gaze remained fixed on the distant horizon.

Beckman sighed helplessly and shook his head, unsure of what to say.

Zzzt!

A crackling sound of electricity suddenly rang out.

Beckman’s brows twitched slightly. Without even turning around, he swung his arm backward like an afterimage and struck behind him.

Clang!

The sound of metal colliding echoed out.

An Armament Haki-coated arm crashed against a golden staff.

The officers inside the cabin rushed out immediately after hearing the sound, entering full alert.

Beckman’s expression turned serious as he spoke in a low voice.

"Enel."

Enel let out a light scoff and did not reply. Instead, he swept his gaze across the area before slightly tilting his head toward Shanks, who had already turned around and drawn his sword.

"Your time is up, red-haired bastard."

Crackle!

Electricity exploded across Enel’s arm. His muscles suddenly swelled as he pressed down with force, sending Beckman flying backward uncontrollably.

At the instant Beckman was blasted away, a dazzling streak of sword light flashed out.

Boom!!!

The entire ship trembled violently.

Sakazuki’s figure instantly appeared and slammed onto the deck.

His large black-gloved hand caught the sword slash heading toward Enel. His five fingers tightened slightly.

Crack!

The slash shattered into countless fragments and disappeared.

**

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