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  .....

  Even though the situation was teically resolved, the involvement of Big Mom had left the Navy on edge.

  Some officers grew impatient and began urging for details.

  "Rear Admiral Notis, what’s the current situation? Keep going already!"

  "Stop stalling, you balding, beady-eyed man!"

  "Did Garp or Sengoku take a?!"

  The thought of five notorious pirates f an alliance had everyone on edge. Without deploying admirals, it seemed impossible to handle such a threat.

  Zephyr had been with them during the training sessions, so the Fleet Admiral likely wouldn't personally get involved. That left Sengoku and Garp as the most probable choices.

  Notis shook his head.

  "Fleet Admiral Kong initially wanted Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp to team up to ensure no pirates escaped.

  "However, Admiral Sengoku refused. Instead, a task force of vice admirals was deployed."

  "What?! Vice admirals?!"

  "No way! That’s impossible!"

  "A vice admiral handling this? I’ll eat my hat while doing a handstand!"

  The room erupted with noise.

  This caliber of pirates could wipe out a vice admiral in seds. Using vice admirals would mean relying on overwhelming numbers, leading to heavy casualties.

  What if the pirates captured a rge number of marines? It could turn into a disaster. Just a few days ago, pirates attacked an allied nation, capturing 500 soldiers. If not for the intervention of the Wover, who knows what could’ve happened?

  Ign the otion, Notis tinued his briefing.

  "This time, Headquarters sent three teams into a.

  "The anding officers were Vice Admiral Sakazuki, Vice Admiral Borsalino, and Vice Admiral Kuzan."

  At the mention of these he murmurs shifted to murmurs of approval.

  Although young and not yet admirals, these three vice admirals were leagues ahead of their peers in strength.

  Smoker narrowed his eyes.

  They sent all three of them? That’s a big deal.

  Still, the battle was on the sea, with enemies scattered and a mission to annihite them pletely. An admiral leading the charge would’ve been a safer bet.

  It seems Sengoku and Garp are paving the way for these three to rise.

  Raising his hand, Smoker asked, "Rear Admiral Notis, what was the oute of the battle? And what’s our mission?"

  Notis nodded. "Don’t rush; I’ll expin now."

  He poi the wanted posters pio the board.

  "Let’s go over the final results:

  "Vice Admiral Sakazuki frohe alliance leader, Wang Zhi, ruler of Beehive Isnd.

  "Wang Zhi’s influence spanned dozens of nations surrounding Beehive Isnd.

  "Itle, Wang Zhi was defeated. While he mao retreat to Beehive Isnd, all his external forces were eliminated, and his top officers were killed. He is irely trapped on the isnd.

  "Vice Admiral Borsalino ehe Treasure Pirates. Captain John and Silver Axe were severely injured and fled.

  "However, Borsalino captured their vivre cards. During the pursuit, their vivre cards vanished, firming their deaths.

  "As for Vice Admiral Kuzan’s team... there was an issue.

  "inally, Kuzan had ered the Ruin Pirates. However, due to intelligence failures, their key officers mao escape."

  Smoker frowned slightly.

  It looked like they sent three vice admirals, but iy, it was as good as deploying three admirals.

  The pirates lost, but they went down with some pride intact.

  Still, somethi off. How did Kuzan slip up? His Ice-Ice Fruit powers made him exceptional at trol. An Ice Age could freeze the battlefield and make escape nearly impossible.

  Could their missioed to this?

  Sure enough, Notis firmed Smoker’s suspis.

  "Vice Admiral Kuzan’s setback was due to the Ruin Pirates’ captain, Crusher Cruz, acquiring a new Devil Fruit.

  "The Paramecia-type Smash-Smash Fruit allows him to shatter any solid object he touches.

  "He destroyed Kuzan’s id escaped the encirclement. Cruz is now in the first half of the Grand Line, dangerously close to us!"

  At that moment, Zephyr stood up.

  "Alright, everyone, here’s the updated intel on Cruz.

  "Crusher Cruz, captain of the Ruin Pirates, a Smash-Smash Fruit user. Bounty: 1.671 billion berries.

  "Our mission is to capture him. Uood?"

  Everyone rose and shouted, "Uood!"

  The warship surged forward through the waves.

  The crew remained on high alert.

  A pirate with a bounty in the billions could destroy aire nation single-handedly.

  Even Zephyr adopted a more serious demeanor, leaving his usual pyful attitude behind.

  As Smoker approached the t figure standing at the ship’s bow, he called out, "Zephyr-sensei..."

  "Smoker... This must be your first time fag a pirate this powerful. How does it feel?"

  Smoker lit a cigarette for both of them and replied, "I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous... but I’m also curious. I want to see what a billion-berry pirate is really like."

  Smoker had grown much stronger over the past two years.

  But holy, he still wasn’t fident against an oppo of this caliber.

  Zephyr chuckled.

  "Don’t worry too much. Cruz’s bounty... it’s infted."

  "Huh?"

  "That guy used to be an officer in the Golden Lion Pirates. While he cks Shiki’s ambition, he’s mastered his ing and cruelty.

  "He often attacked marines and civilians under false identities, even impersonating the Navy to attack allied nations. That’s how his bounty got so high."

  Smoker nodded in realization. Another pirate who earheir bounty through sughtering is.

  "Based on what I know about him, even with the Smash-Smash Fruit, there’s no way he escaped Kuzan’s ice by himself. It must’ve been Fire Flower’s doing..."

  "Fire Flower?!"

  "Yes, she was a key member of the Rocks Pirates and the former empress of Amazon Lily."

  "When it es to armament haki, she is almost as strong as an admiral! She's the stro fighter in the Shattered Pirates!"

  [Fire Flower, that old woman?!]

  Smasped.

  The little old dy from the ics had such a glorious history?!

  "So... what happeo Fire Flower in the end? She wasn't mentioned iel earlier..."

  Zephyr took a drag of his cigarette and spoke in a low voice. "She escaped."

  Smoker was shocked. That funny old woman was that strong?!

  "inally, Fire Flower was holding off Kuzan to help the rest of the pirates escape."

  "But that bastard, Kruze, abandoned his crew and escaped with his officers, leaving Fire Flower to escape on her own..."

  "She's very skilled at survival and gathering intel. Once she hides, even the Navy ’t find her..."

  "Luckily, she doesn’t like causing trouble, and the Wover seems to have other pns for her, so they let her go for now!"

  "Right now, our target is just Kruze."

  Smoker nodded. "Got it."

  "By the way..." Zephyr rubbed his . "Leave this to me. I o stretch my muscles a bit..."

  "Uh..."

  Four days ago.

  In a remote isnd in the New World.

  The calm sea suddenly bubbled.

  Soon, a giant sea king rose to the surface, its body covered in blood, eyes gzed over, and dead.

  A woman rawled on the creature, gasping for breath. After some time, she mao roll over.

  The woman was not young but still had a graceful figure aiful face. A blue snake was ed arouhis was the young Fire Flower.

  After a while, Fire Flower slowly stood, lifting her clothes to reveal rge frostbite marks.

  "I 't deny my age anymore... A mere Navy Rear Admiral caused me this mujury."

  Then she showed a furious expression. "That bastard Kruze... just like Shiki..."

  She slowly got to her feet and looked around.

  "At this distahe Navy won’t find me. I’ll rest on this isnd."

  A few days ago, she fought Kuzan.

  To cover her rades, she had used her haki to block Kuzan’s abilities.

  Although her haki owerful, she was still injured.

  At the time, a sea king happeo swim by. She quickly dove into its mouth, using it to hide her st and escape.

  The sea king floated on the sea, and Fire Flower endured for several days.

  Wherength started to run out, she saw an isnd nearby, so she killed the sea king and surfaced.

  She used her observation haki to check the isnd and found no enemies. She jumped to the isnd, limping as she went deeper into the cave to sleep.

  How much time passed, she was suddenly woken by loud cries and insults.

  "Hahaha, we're so lucky!"

  "These three girls are pretty. We sell them food price!!"

  "Please, let us go!"

  "Let me go, bastards! I’ll never be a sve again!"

  "Hahaha, what you say doesn't matter!"

  [So noisy...]

  Fire Flower felt annoyed and propped herself up to go outside.

  There were seven ht strong men outside, looking like pirates or human traffickers.

  Nearby, three young girls—oh bck hair, oh yellow, and oh green—were g. They were pretty, which robably why they were targeted.

  However, Fire Flower had no iion of saving them.

  She irate herself. Many children had died in front of her, so she had no sympathy.

  She just wahese guys to leave so she could go back to sleep.

  "Scram, punks!!"

  The men, who hadn’t noticed the cave, were startled by Fire Flower’s sudden appearance.

  But seeing her weak and delicate form, their greed took over.

  "Heh, what luck we have!"

  "We catch this woman too! She’ll sell food price!!"

  One of them grinned and pced a k Fire Flower's neck.

  "You're really brave, but too stupid! e with us!"

  Fire Flrabbed the bde, crushing it like a piece of paper.

  The men screamed in terror.

  "Spare us! We'll leave right away!"

  "We’re sorry, we’re sorry!"

  While begging, they dragged the girls away by their hair.

  The yellow-haired girl cried out in pain, "Please, let go! Help us!"

  The green-haired girl cried, "Please, save us!"

  Fire Flower just coldly watched.

  She was weak herself and dizzy just standing, not wanting to waste her strength helping.

  She shook her head and turo leave.

  The two girls looked at her with desperate eyes.

  But the bck-haired girl, the most stubborn and fierce, kept resisting.

  "You bastards! The Kuja Pirates will never let you get away!"

  "Kuja?!"

  Fire Flower froze, then turned back.

  "Wait!"

  .....

  Void996