Chapter 333

Translator: PapaSmurf0700

Back on the Sabaody Archipelago, every reporter in the World Economic Journal office was glued to the live feed, their minds racing.

"That 'Captain Roger' he mentioned… could he possibly mean the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger?!" one journalist exclaimed.

"It has to be," another replied, tapping furiously at his notes. "There's only one pirate of that name with that level of notoriety. Besides, he mentioned Roger's Haki notes."

"But how could a former member of the Pirate King's crew be a small-time nobody from the East Blue? His bounty wasn't even twenty million Beri!"

"And didn't the Straw Hats personally hand him over to the Marines?"

A reporter who had been stationed in the East Blue spoke up. The Straw Hats' early exploits were well-documented, and with a bit of thought, the pieces started to click into place. "Wait a minute…"

"Have you all forgotten something crucial?" an older, veteran journalist interjected, a smug look on his face as if he'd just unraveled the crime of the century. "The Straw Hats' Vice-Captain, Bai Ye, just publicly thanked that red-nosed man."

He leaned forward, his voice dropping conspiratorially. "And where did the original Straw Hat crew members all come from? The East Blue."

"What are you getting at?" a younger reporter asked.

"This is a plan that has spanned years!" the old-timer declared, his eyes gleaming. "This man, this member of the Pirate King's crew, has been lying low in Roger's own hometown for a reason. He kept his true strength hidden, all to wait for a successor—someone who could carry on his captain's will."

"Think about it! The Straw Hats deal with the corrupt Marine captain in Shells Town, and where do they go next? Straight to Orange Town, Buggy's territory. It was no coincidence! Buggy must have sought them out to test them, to see if they were worthy of Roger's legacy."

"And they passed! Roger's Haki notes were their reward. To make it all look legitimate, Buggy was even willing to become their stepping stone, a minor villain to boost their reputation!"

The older reporter gasped, a new realization striking him like lightning. "No! It's more than that!" he cried, pointing a trembling finger at the screen. "Buggy just claimed he orchestrated the Impel Down breakout, and no one refuted him!"

"There is only one truth!" he shouted, standing up from his chair. "Buggy let himself be captured! He went to Impel Down on purpose to recruit more allies for this very war! What an incredible, long-term strategy!"

He stared at the image of Buggy on the screen, who was now yelling indignantly at someone off-camera. "I have a feeling," the reporter said with awe, "that from this day forward, that man is going to be a very big deal."

-----

"Gurararara! Well, if it isn't the red-nosed brat."

Just as Buggy was winding up for another tirade, a heroic, booming laugh echoed across the battlefield.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING RED-NOSED, YOU OLD FOOL?!" Buggy shot back on pure instinct.

A second later, a cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He recognized that laugh. It belonged to the one man you didn't insult. Edward Newgate. Whitebeard.

The Emperor of the Sea paid Buggy's outburst no mind. With Ace now safe, he was in a remarkably good mood. "Gurarara, still as reckless as ever, little apprentice. Are you here to take my head as well?"

Before Buggy could formulate a reply that wouldn't get him killed, Sir Crocodile made his move.

"Desert Spada!"

Crocodile's arm transformed into a sharp blade of sand as he lunged for Whitebeard. But Jinbe moved faster, intercepting the attack with a powerful blast of Fish-Man Karate that dispersed the sand. "I will not allow you to harm Oyaji, Crocodile!"

"Hmph." Crocodile snorted, his eyes sweeping over the Whitebeard commanders now forming a protective wall around their captain. He wisely decided to back down.

At that moment, an eerie silence fell over Marineford. The wounded were being tended to, and three distinct forces remained standing in a tense standoff. On one side, the pirates: the Straw Hat alliance and the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates. On another, the Marines, led by their three Admirals. And watching from the shadows, the World Government's true power: the agents of CP0.

The wild cards, like Doflamingo and Crocodile, were powerless to break the delicate balance. The pirates wanted to escape. The Marines wanted to stop them. And the World Government… no one knew their true objective.

In the midst of this stalemate, the final, titanic duel was reaching its brutal conclusion.

"Daibutsu: Impact Wave!"

"Shishi Odoshi: Earth Bind!"

With a final, earth-shattering collision, the legendary Golden Lion Shiki reached his end. But even then, the man who had once terrorized the seas with his flying armada, the pirate who had stood as Roger's equal, was laughing.

"Hahahahaha! THIS! A BATTLE LIKE THIS IS MY DESTINY!" he roared at the heavens. "ROGER, I DIDN'T LOSE TO YOU! HAHAHAHA!"

As his laughter faded, the hands gripping his legendary swords, Oto and Kogarashi, fell limp. Shiki, the Golden Lion, remained standing tall, even in death. The sight brought a wave of somber respect from Sengoku, Garp, and Whitebeard—his old rivals. Far away on Sabaody, Rayleigh fell silent, a sad look on his face.

"Kurozu!"

Just as Shiki's body began to fall, a powerful suction force pulled him from the air, yanking him toward the crumbling ruins of the Marine Headquarters building. Everyone's head snapped toward the source of the power.

"It's the Blackbeard Pirates!"

Perched atop the ruins were several figures who had appeared without anyone noticing. The man who had caught Shiki's body was none other than their captain, Marshall D. Teach. Flanking him were his original crew members, but there were new, far more terrifying faces among them.

Vice-Admiral Jonathan stared in horror. "The prisoners from Impel Down's Level Six... 'Corrupt King' Avalo Pizarro! 'Crescent Moon Hunter' Catarina Devon! 'Colossal Battleship' Sanjuan Wolf! 'Heavy Drinker' Vasco Shot! And... the former Head Jailer, a man as strong as Magellan himself... 'Shiryu of the Rain'!"

He couldn't believe his eyes. "Have all of these monsters joined the Blackbeard Pirates?"

Seeing them, Sengoku understood everything. "Teach!" he bellowed. "You dared to attack Impel Down?!"

"Zehahahaha! It wasn't just me, Fleet Admiral Sengoku," Blackbeard gloated, clearly pleased with himself. "Impel Down was already in an uproar before I even got there!"

Laffitte, perched on his shoulder, added smoothly, "I merely hypnotized the guards at the Gates of Justice to open for any approaching warship. It seems," he said with a glance toward Buggy's group, "our actions made things quite a bit easier for some other enterprising individuals."