"Your plan didn't work," Whitebeard grunted as he ran, his massive naginata slung over his shoulder.
"I know," Roy replied, running alongside him.
"Then what now? If this keeps up, we won't be able to handle the Marines. If Garp and Zephyr show up, we won't even be able to escape."
"It's fine. The ship will be ready today, and besides, the Aqua Laguna is coming."
"The what now?"
"A massive storm capable of unleashing a giant tsunami. Haven't you noticed how empty the island is?"
"Now that you mention it, it's a lot emptier than before…Where did everyone go?"
"They evacuated. The tsunamis' coming—they've already fled to other islands."
"You're sure the tsunami is hitting tonight?"
"Yeah, it comes like clockwork every year. Most of the island will be submerged. The Marines will either have to land or retreat."
They arrived back at the shipyard, where Tom and his mermaid secretary, Kokoro, were still hard at work.
"Mr. Tom, will the ship be ready today?" Roy asked.
"I guarantee it'll be finished," Tom said with a grin.
"Will our ship be able to push through the Aqua Laguna tonight?"
"You plan to ride through it?! That won't be easy. Those waves are hundreds of meters tall. Even my ships can't handle that."
"But we're surrounded by the Marines. If we don't use the tsunami to break out, we'll be trapped here."
"Then wait. Once the Aqua Laguna comes, the Marines will retreat. They're not dumb enough to stick around and die. Once they're gone, you guys can set sail, and they won't be able to catch up."
"Guess that's our best option." Roy sighed. No sense taking unnecessary risks.
"Big bro, our ship's huge!" Jozu said as he ran up.
THUNK!
Roy smacked him on the head.
"Why'd you hit me, big bro?!"
"Was this whole mess your fault?!" Roy snapped.
"They were bullying people!"
"And what are we?"
"Pirates!"
"Are pirates good people?"
"Yeah!"
"WHO TOLD YOU THAT?!"
"Pops did!!"
"Pirates are the bad guys. We are the bad guys. We're supposed to do bad things. The Marines are the ones who help people, not us!" Roy smacked him again.
"WHAAAT?!"
It wasn't just Jozu—several other kids around them looked shocked.
"Newgate, what the hell have you been teaching them?! Since when are pirates the good guys?!" Roy roared at Whitebeard, who had been trying to sneak away.
It was like Roy had been teaching his kids basic math, and then their "uncle" came in saying 1 + 1 = 3, totally throwing them off track.
"Gurararara! I didn't think they'd believe it so easily!" Whitebeard laughed.
"WHAT?!" The kids clutched their heads in shock.
"Pops! How could you lie to us?!"
"So we're the bad guys?!"
"You said the Marines were evil!"
"I'll never trust Pops again!"
"Pops is the biggest bad guy!"
The group of kids swarmed around Whitebeard angrily, demanding answers after being tricked.
"Hahaha, you're all hilarious." Kokoro came over, laughing uncontrollably after hearing everything.
This had to be the strangest and funniest pirate crew—a giant adult man leading a bunch of kids, with the most mature one being… well, another kid.
Roy was completely speechless. So all this Marine trouble was because of Whitebeard.
At least Whitebeard would probably behave now.
"Marco, scout the sea. See if the Marines are retreating."
"Got it."
Marco took to the skies. When he returned, he reported that most of the Marine ships had withdrawn—except one.
A marine battleship had docked. Sengoku was leading the troops ashore, while the other ships sailed away.
It was clear Sengoku had been informed the island's civilians had evacuated, and he was determined to trap the Whitebeard Pirates here. He wasn't backing down.
"Pops, what do we do?" Marco asked.
"Roy, what do you think?" Whitebeard turned to him.
"What else can we do? We fight." Roy looked around at the others. Without hardship, how could they grow? They may have been young, but they were strong.
The Marine landing force wasn't large. Whitebeard could draw their main firepower—it'd be enough.
"Wow, never thought I'd hear Big Bro say that," Thatch chuckled.
"Just don't die, alright?" Roy said.
"Don't worry, Big Bro. We'll protect you!" Jozu shouted, clenching his fists.
Roy realized something. He really was weak. Despite training just as hard, he just couldn't match these guys.
Whitebeard had bluntly told him he was painfully average.
His only asset was his clever mind, managing the crew and keeping things running smoothly.
He climbed to a vantage point with a rifle, watching Whitebeard lead a group of kids into battle against Sengoku and the Navy.
If he joined close combat, he'd just be a liability. Better to act from a distance.
BANG!
He fired a shot at Sengoku, but the bullet bounced off. It did nothing, not even a scratch. Sengoku glanced at Roy, then ignored him entirely.
Sengoku had entered his Buddha form, towering even taller than Whitebeard. Their battle shook the island with constant explosions.
Because Sengoku was such a huge target, Roy tried shooting again. Still useless.
"…Worth a shot."
He started aiming at other Marine soldiers instead.
The battle raged on as the sky darkened. The sea churned, and waves were rising—the Aqua Laguna was coming.
From his high point, Roy saw it a wall of water. The first wave was small, but the next ones were building, along with hurricane-force winds and heavy rain.
"Yeah… you really have to respect the ocean's wrath," Roy muttered, watching a tsunami hundreds of meters high. It looked like the end of the world.
He remembered tsunamis in his past life, just a few dozen meters tall had almost erased entire cities. This one dwarfed them. Thankfully, Water 7's construction and drainage systems were sturdy enough to withstand the impact.
As the tsunami approached, both sides had no choice but to stop fighting and retreat to higher ground.
Whitebeard and Sengoku continued their battle as they moved, neither willing to back down.
"This world is insane," Roy whispered, watching these two giants clash like titans, shaking the earth with every clash. It was awe-inspiring.
Aside from the incident at God Valley, this was the first time he'd seen Whitebeard actually struggle in a fight. Of course, the sea was vast, and many powerful foes were still out there. This was only the beginning; countless future battles awaited.
It was hard to imagine what kind of being could actually leave a scar on Whitebeard.
"Roy, your ship's ready. Once the tsunami passes, you can leave." Tom came over with the news.
"Thanks, Tom."
"Don't mention it. This money brings me one step closer to my dream."