Chapter 18 The Navy’s Counterattack

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"Why did you call me back in such a hurry?"

In the Marshal's Office at the Navy Headquarters, a strong purple-haired man opened the door and walked in.

"You're here, Zephyr."

Cyborg Kong, seated in the room, was relieved to see the visitor.

Zephyr walked in and noticed Tsuru sitting there with a gloomy expression. "What happened?"

Cyborg Kong explained, "While Sengoku was on a mission in the East Sea, he was attacked by a pirate. Not only did the mission fail, but Gion was also kidnapped by the pirate."

Zephyr understood why Tsuru looked so troubled. "A pirate?"

He found it hard to believe. If Cyborg Kong was talking about a pirate crew, he could accept it, but Zephyr suddenly lost his composure.

Zefa asked, "Is it the Golden Lion or Roger?"

Then he frowned again. "No, Roger and the Golden Lion should be in the New World now, with Garp likely chasing Roger. Who could it be?"

At this time, Tsuru said, "It's the Whitebeard Pirates."

"The Whitebeard Pirates?" This was the first time Zephyr had heard this name. He had been on a mission during the last navy meeting and was unaware of this newly formed pirate group.

Cyborg Kong placed a bounty order on the table.

Zephyr stepped forward, looked at it, and saw the cold face of a middle-aged man on the bounty order.

Below the man's photo was his name.

Zephyr murmured, "Ram Larson, with a bounty of 400 million Berries."

Cyborg Kong said, "He attacked the Warring States."

Zephyr put down the bounty order and pondered for a moment. "The Whitebeard Pirates—are they the same Whitebeard who was previously with the Rocks Pirates?"

Cyborg Kong nodded. "Yes, it's him. According to our investigation, the Whitebeard Pirates seem to have been established less than a month ago. During this period, Garp encountered them once and was defeated, forcing him to take a detour."

"Whitebeard is working with him?"

"It's Larson alone."

A long silence fell over the office.

At this time, Tsuru stood up, walking over to Zephyr, holding Larson's bounty order in her hand. She looked at the man on the order with determination. "Today during Sengoku's mission, Larson suddenly broke free; he not only snatched the heavenly gold but also captured Gion. Her life and death are now uncertain, and I want to ask you to come with me to rescue her."

Cyborg Kong sighed. "The higher-ups on the Red Line are furious about this. We must retrieve the heavenly gold and apprehend Larson and Whitebeard."

Zephyr nodded seriously. "I understand. When should we set off?"

"Now."

...

As they walked outside, Zephyr looked at Tsuru beside him and asked, "How many people should we bring this time?"

She said, expressionless, "Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit can create tsunamis, so this operation isn't suitable for leading a large force."

Zephyr nodded, yet he felt somewhat uncertain.

He had heard of Whitebeard's strength, and now, with Larson joining him—someone who could stand against Garp in a fight—he doubted whether he and Sengoku could defeat both Whitebeard and Larson.

He just glanced at Tsuru and knew what the so-called non-killing general was thinking. She said calmly, "Don't worry; Garp is also coming back. Even if we can't take down Whitebeard and Larson this time, we must retrieve the heavenly gold."

Zephyr felt a sense of relief. With Garp alongside them, he felt much more confident.

They arrived at the port and found many people gathered there.

A navy soldier approached them and stood at attention. "Report to General Zephyr and vice admiral Tsuru that the teams have been assembled!"

Zephyr looked ahead and saw familiar young faces in the team.

Porusalino, Sakaski, Ghost Spider, and others...

It could be said that everyone here was the backbone of the navy. Except for Kuzan, who was with Garp, the three future Admirals of the navy were all present.

Zephyr grasped the magnitude of this mission and the importance the navy placed on it.

Though the navy was not sending a large force, the strength of these individuals surpassed that of an entire fleet.

If the navy suffered significant losses in this operation, it might take decades for them to recover.

He glanced at everyone with a serious expression and then said, "Get aboard!"

Not another word was wasted.

Porusalino, who was in the group, curled his lips. "What a great effort."

Sakaski remained stoic and said nothing.

He shot a cold glare at Porusalino. "Stop talking nonsense."

Porusalino shrank back. Now that he was only a rear admiral, he still felt a bit intimidated by Tsuru, who was a vice admiral.

He and Zephyr were the last to board the ship. After everyone was on board, the naval warship gradually sailed away from Marineford.

On the navy warship, Tsuru and Zephyr gathered in a room.

Except for the two of them, everyone else took their positions as well.

Tsuru held a small wooden stick, and behind her was a board featuring two bounty orders.

She tapped the bounty order on the left with her stick. "You should all be familiar with this man. This is Whitebeard, a user of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, and he was previously a member of the Rocks Pirates."

Sakaski expressed disdain. "A bunch of pirate scum, merely remnants of the Rocks Pirates."

Frowning, Tsuru replied, "sakazuki, if you keep talking like that, you can leave."

"Hmph!"

The disdain on Sakazuki face didn't fade in the slightest.

She frowned. Sakazuki and Porusalino carried an air of arrogance due to their respective Logia Devil Fruits.

But they couldn't be blamed for that. One wielded the Magu Magu no Mi (Magma-Magma Fruit), and the other possessed the Pika Pika no Mi (Glint-Glint Fruit); both were among the top-tier Devil Fruits. From the moment they had obtained these abilities, they were destined for great heights.

For them, becoming only a Major General was merely the starting point.

Tsuru ignored Sakazuki and pointed at the other bounty order with the wooden stick in her hand. "This man's name is Larson; he is approximately 30 years old. We understand that he was a villager on the island before, but now he is the vice-captain of the Whitebeard Pirates."

She continued, "Through our investigation and analysis, we believe this man is also a Devil Fruit user. His specific ability appears to be the power to use others' abilities while simultaneously nullifying theirs. The duration for using others' powers is still unknown, but it seems to be about 10 minutes."

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