The Guardian Seeds

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The New World sky darkened as the first drops of rain fell on the isolated island of Rinascita. Thunder occasionally roared, as if the earth itself was lamenting, quenching the raging flames that once devoured its beauty. No lives were present as the island now lay in ruins, covered in blackened scars and debris. There was only a serene silence in the air, broken only by the sound of raindrops hitting the ground...

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"Sir, the objective of the Buster Call has been accomplished! The other fleets have signalled their subsequent retreat to headquarters shortly!"

Vice Admiral Akagi, nursing his injuries and catching his breath, inquired... "What of the Red Hair Pirates? I ordered you to keep a close watch on them."

The officer responded, a hint of uncertainty in his voice, "We temporarily lost sight of them as they made a detour to the other side of the port! However, we've also dispatched orders to the other fleets to locate them and report back immediately, sir!"

Akagi nodded, "Good. Even if there's nothing left for them to retrieve from this incinerated island, we must maintain surveillance until the operation is truly complete!" before he turned his attention to the final matter...

"And the status of the Refuge Ship?" he inquired.

"All of the refugees have been gathered onboard. It is also ready to set sail in a moment, sir!" the officer replied.

Just then, another marine officer approached, bringing news of the Red Hair Force, "Sir, we've just spotted them in the northeast, at two o'clock! No suspicious activity has been detected from our observation point!"

Akagi let out a heavy sigh, the weight of the day weighing upon him... Making a conclusive judgment, he declared, "Our mission is now complete! Prepare for immediate retreat before the impending storm hits us with its full force!!"

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In the middle of the aftermath chaos, the New World monsoon began to brew, with dark clouds gathering ominously in the sky... The Red Hair crew hurried to secure their ship, the Red Force, against the impending tempest.

"Everyone, batten down the hatches! We need to make sure everything is tightly secured!" Shouted Benn Beckman.

"Aye, aye, sir!" The crew responded, rushing to follow his orders.

Shanks stood at the helm, his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of danger. "Yasopp, Hongo, check the sails! We need to reef them properly!"

"Roger, Chief!" the duo replied in unison, quickly climbing the rigging to adjust the sails.

Meanwhile, Building Snake, the ship's navigator, worked frantically at his navigation table, calculating the best course to steer the ship away from the storm's path. "We need to veer north, Captain! It's the safest route to avoid the worst of it!" he called out, his hands moving swiftly across the charts.

The one-armed captain nodded, his gaze never leaving the darkening skies. "Do it, Snake! Let's get out of here before it hits!"

As the storm drew nearer, the winds began to howl, and the waves grew more turbulent. The crew struggled to maintain their footing on the deck as the ship rocked violently. Rain lashed against their faces, making it difficult to see.

"Steady, everyone! HOLD ON TIGHT!!!" shouted the redhead over the roar of the massive whirlwind...

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Approximately one kilometre away from the Red Force...Another ship also battled against the unforgiving New World tremendous squall. It sailed at an agonizingly slow speed, left far behind from its accompanying fleet...

The captain had been anxious about the ship's situation since its embarkment. Overloaded with a mass of people exceeding its capacity, the last-minute order to gather up all refugees from every Rinascita island's shore had pushed the vessel beyond its limits, making it exeptionally unstable during the heavy storm surge...

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Surrounded by the screams and desperate cries of its passengers, which almost rivalled the thunderous sounds of the hurricane itself, the Refuge Ship was mercilessly tossed and turned by the turbulent seas, pushing it closer to its breaking point...

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With no chance of assistance from any marine fleet to come in time, the ship finally fell prey to the unyielding ferocious deluge, sinking gradually, and tragically into the abyss... taking with it yet again, the little flicker of hopes and dreams of the innocent lives on board...

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Only when the next morning arrived with the clear, blue peaceful sky, did the Red Force find itself slowly sailing through the vast, calm seas... As some of the crew members went about their morning routines, they noticed something unusual drifting and scattering on the water's surface...

"What are all those things floating about?" questioned one of the curious crew members, peering over the ship's railing...

"It's people!! How strange! Why are they all hovering on the sea like that?!" another exclaimed.

"Wait, isn't that Farlan over there?!!" someone else surprisingly pointed out.

Without a moment's hesitation, the crew sprang into action, manoeuvring the ship closer to the floating figures, "Hurry! Get all of them onboard now!" the captain promptly commanded.

As they pulled the stranded individuals out of the water, they recognized some familiar faces... mostly from the 'Raduno Town', with Fugar and Farlan among the mass, miraculously floating the whole night through the tribulations without any life-saving gears...

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On that day, the Red Hair Pirates all bore witness to the unearthly power of Guardian Seeds through the vulnerable lives that had been tenderly protected even amidst the harshest of New World's tempestuous weathers...

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...They would become cherished allies of the sea... never getting drown into its depths and immune to the attacks of sea monsters, for these creatures would recognize them as kindred spirits...

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