One Piece: The Dragon All-Star - 195

Chapter 195: Reactions Around the World! The Marines Arrive at Punk Hazard!

The tsunami set off by the World Economy News Paper was never going to hit only the World Government.

The entire world was left speechless by the news, and then it plunged into a level of uproar and unrest like never before.

“Is a new Pirate King about to appear?”

“Who can stop the Beasts Pirates now? The Marines?”

“Do not make me laugh. Against that kind of power, the Marines can barely protect themselves!”

“Hahahahaha! The biggest winner of this era is about to be born! The old balance is finished. This is the perfect time to bet big on the future! I am heading to the New World to join the Beasts Pirates!”

“The Marines... can they still protect us?”

People reacted in every possible way.

But compared to ordinary citizens who had little connection to the New World, the figures standing at the very top of the world were hit far harder.

Whole Cake Island.

Charlotte Linlin’s eyes went wide as she stared at the horrifying photo in the newspaper. For once, even her beloved cream cake failed to tempt her.

“This has to be a joke... Kaido, that bastard, really lost?”

On the surface, she and her “little brother” were always trading insults, as if she never took him seriously at all.

But deep down, she had always kept her guard up against Kaido’s strength.

There was no doubt it was power on the same level as her own.

And now, the so-called strongest creature had fallen.

“Mama. Whether we want to admit it or not, the Beasts Pirates now have the terrifying strength to sweep aside any single force in the New World,” Katakuri said.

He had arrived immediately, and his voice was tight like a drawn wire, carrying a rare heaviness.

“We need to plan for what comes next.”

If the Charlotte Family held that kind of overwhelming power, they would not tolerate many dissenting voices in the New World either. Charlotte Linlin sank into thought.

It stung, but she understood: as things stood, her family could not match the Beasts Pirates.

Her thick fingers tapped the armrest of her throne, over and over.

After a moment, her gaze shifted in the direction of Hachinosu.

Maybe... it was time to reconnect with a certain “old friend.”

The New World, a calm stretch of sea.

The Moby Dick, like its aging captain, moved slowly across the surface.

But today, the deck held none of its usual bold noise.

Even the sea wind seemed heavier, brushing over silent shoulders.

Even the commanders who were normally the most upbeat stood quietly now, either staring at the newspaper in their hands or looking toward the distant horizon with knitted brows.

“This is... bad,” Vista the Flower Sword murmured, stroking his curled mustache, his voice low.

Even with absolute faith in Pops’ strength, anyone would feel uneasy looking at the Beasts Pirates’ current lineup.

“Pops?” Marco finally broke the suffocating silence.

His gaze held hesitation and worry as it landed on the pillar of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Whitebeard had several IV bottles hanging from his arm. His towering body was still grand, but fatigue bled through it no matter how you looked.

Marco suddenly realized it.

The Pops in his memories, always standing tall enough to hold up the entire sea, really had grown old.

“Gurararara... relax,” Whitebeard boomed, laughing with his usual fearless swagger.

“My old bones are not rusted yet.”

Noticing the shadow that would not leave Marco’s eyes, and the others’ too, he laughed even louder, the sound like a great bell driving fog away over the deck.

Afterward, he deliberately shook the thick arm with the IV line, forcing confidence back into his family.

“Besides, the ones burning with wild ambition like a wildfire are probably even less able to sit still than we are.”

Marco caught the meaning at once, a bit of light returning to his eyes.

“Right. And the World Government too... they will not just watch the Beasts Pirates swell without restraint.”

“That is right!”

“The Beasts Pirates will not get to act arrogant for long!”

The crew’s anxious hearts eased little by little.

Familiar smiles and fighting spirit returned, and the dull heaviness on deck finally started to move, laughter spreading again.

And yet, in the middle of that laughter, a dark, heavyset officer quietly lowered his head, hiding the strange look on his face in the shadows.

He could hear it.

Behind Pops’ laughter, there was a trace of hesitation, a hint of strain.

That realization sent a cold shiver creeping into one corner of his heart.

Maybe... staying on this ship to the bitter end was not the only path.

The New World, another sea.

Aboard the Red Force, Shanks lowered the newspaper in his hand.

His finger tapped lightly against the wooden railing as he stared at the far horizon, his gaze long and distant.

“The waves of this era are getting harsher.”

Benn Beckman lit a cigarette and walked up beside him. Through the drifting smoke, his eyes looked especially sharp.

“Should we prepare?”

“For example, form an alliance with the Whitebeard Pirates?”

It was not good for morale to say it, but in his gut, he believed only two Emperors could stand against two Emperors.

Of course, merging was impossible.

But with their good relationship, watching each other’s backs should not be hard.

“Not a bad idea,” Shanks said, rubbing the stubble along his jaw and nodding.

He glanced around, taking in the tension on his crewmates’ faces.

Then he suddenly flashed a wide grin, carefree and unrestrained.

“If it really comes down to it, we turn the ship around. Back to the Grand Line. Back to the four seas. Dying in some territory war with a bunch of lunatics is not the kind of adventure I want.”

“Hahahaha, that is a great idea!”

“Perfect. We can go check on Yasopp’s kid. I wonder if the little brat’s nose is as long as his old man’s, hahahaha!”

That “unambitious” escape plan earned immediate, unanimous approval.

Knowing laughter burst across the deck, and the tension vanished.

Grand Line, Kuraigana Island.

After finishing his daily work, Hawkeye leaned at a castle window and unfolded the newest paper.

Those hawk-like eyes swept across the headline and photo, and the corner of his mouth lifted.

“Kai. Looks like you have gotten stronger again.”

“I am looking forward to our next meeting more and more.”

Calm Belt, Amazon Lily, deep within the palace.

Hancock, more breathtaking than ever, pressed the newspaper with Kai’s photo tightly into her cleavage with an almost reverent, possessive intensity.

A blush spread across her perfect cheeks, and her eyes turned into hearts.

“Kai-sama is getting more handsome by the day!”

“I cannot wait to stand at your side openly!”

The Florian Triangle, Thriller Bark.

Moria’s ever-rounder bulk sank into his throne as he held the newspaper, staring at the report of Kaido’s defeat.

First, he let out a suppressed chuckle.

Then the laughter grew.

Then it became a mad roar that shook dust from the castle ceiling.

“Kishishishishi... Kaido! So you can fall too!”

He looked happy like a four-hundred-pound little boy.

Below him, his subordinates looked at their captain like he had lost his mind, traded helpless glances, and sighed together.

Hopeless.

While the seas boiled and screamed over the Beasts Pirates, a warship with no flag and an intentionally low-profile design slipped quietly into Punk Hazard’s hidden harbor.

The hatch opened, and a squad stepped out, all wearing Marine “Justice” coats.

“Long time no see, Kuzan. And Gion-chan, you get prettier every time we meet, do you know that? Got a boyfriend yet?” Borsalino drawled as he strolled up, voice slow as ever.

Gion answered with a charming, annoyed look.

“No.”

Before the word even finished leaving her mouth, a man in a tan striped suit and wooden geta poked his head out behind her, grinning.

“That is because I still have not officially succeeded in confessing!”

“Tokikake, if I remember right, you have confessed more than sixty times,” even Borsalino could not help saying. “Still not giving up?”

He had been stubbornly chasing Gion for years.

“Wrong!” Tokikake raised one finger, his face weirdly proud. “Seventy-one times!”

Everyone went quiet.

“Alright, we can talk later,” Borsalino said, turning away with both hands in his pockets. “First, I am taking you to the lab. Business comes first. I do not want Sengoku-san docking my pay.”

He led this extravagant team, one admiral, two admiral candidates, and three vice admirals, deeper into the island toward the heavily guarded SSG base, Vegapunk’s laboratory.

On the way...

Roar!

A deep, dignified bellow rolled down from above, riding a powerful gust.

They looked up and saw a massive dragon, its scales blazing red like fire, spread its wings and sweep over their heads.

“A dragon? A creature like that... really exists?” Gion, visiting for the first time, could not help widening her eyes.

“Oh, that?” Borsalino glanced up, tone unchanged.

“That is one of Dr. Vegapunk’s ‘works,’ made to guard this island.”

“I hear it can adapt to almost any environment. Pretty impressive, right? Even the Celestial Dragons personally gave it a name.”

He paused, the corner of his mouth curving.

“But the name is too hard to say. Nobody on the island remembers it. These days, everyone just calls it the Fire Dragon.”

The vice admirals could not hide their shock.

They had long heard of Vegapunk’s reputation. Sea Prism Stone-inlay technology was one of his masterpieces.

But creating life out of thin air...

That was beyond absurd.

That stepped into the realm of “gods.”

Borsalino saw their reactions and simply smiled, as if it were nothing special.

“The outer areas do not have much to see. The real surprises are inside the lab.”

Sure enough, when the group passed layer after layer of strict identity checks and security gates and finally stepped into the core laboratory zone, even veterans like Momousagi and Chaton could barely close their mouths.

Everywhere they looked, the world felt unreal.

A machine that manufactures artificial diamonds.

Flowers that bloomed inside gunpowder.

An unmanned cooking unit that produced full meals at the press of a button.

One invention after another, all beyond common sense, all overflowing with imagination, displayed and operating neatly behind transparent partitions.

“What kind of genius does this take?” Gion whispered, her eyes shining, when she learned these were all led by Vegapunk’s research.

Only now did she truly understand why the World Government would pay any price to keep Vegapunk tightly in their grip.

With enough time and resources, this one scientist could move forces that might rival the shock of an entire Yonko crew.

“This is not even the best part,” Borsalino said, still wearing that secretive, teasing look.

“Next, what you are here to receive and take away... that is the top result of this island so far.”

He guided them through the final heavy alloy door.

The space beyond opened wide.

A vast chamber with a futuristic feel spread out before them.

It looked less like a laboratory and more like an arena built to test raw combat power.

The chamber formed an enormous silver-white oval dome, and the walls and floor were made of a matte metal that seemed designed to absorb impact.

In the center, several target devices gleamed with a cold metallic sheen, their material clearly not ordinary.

“Took you long enough, Uncle,” a booming voice called out.

A man approached with steady, heavy steps, carrying a giant axe nearly as tall as he was. He had a thick build, wore a red bellyband, and had a huge rope knot tied at his waist.

Borsalino shifted slightly and gestured to his colleagues.

“This is Sentomaru, Dr. Vegapunk’s personal bodyguard.”

Sentomaru nodded at the high-ranking Marines, his tone serious.

“Welcome to the combat testing ground.”

Kuzan looked around the empty chamber and asked casually, “Where is the Doctor?”

“I cannot tell you,” Sentomaru said at once, puffing out his chest. “Because I am the tightest-lipped man in the world.”

Then, before anyone could react, he naturally raised his hand and pointed toward the center.

“The Doctor is waiting for you in there.”

Everyone fell silent.

After a brief pause, the corners of several elite Marines’ mouths twitched.

He had just told them.

What part of that was “tight-lipped”?

Borsalino, who had watched Sentomaru grow up, looked completely unsurprised.

He only pushed up his sunglasses with mild resignation and led them onward.

Soon, a man came into view, wearing a helmet marked with the number 01 and a deep blue coat.

Borsalino introduced him.

“This is Dr. Vegapunk.”

“Good morning,” the man said with a small nod.

“Huh? He... he is Dr. Vegapunk?” the group blurted, dumbfounded.

In their minds, someone like Vegapunk should have been white-haired and ancient.

But even with the helmet hiding his face, his voice and build did not match “old” at all.

“No need to concern yourselves,” the man explained calmly, his voice filtered through the helmet with a flat, mechanical clarity.

“I am one of Dr. Vegapunk’s satellites, code name Shaka.”

“The main body is currently handling a set of key data in the core laboratory and cannot come in person. I will guide the handover and testing.”

After the concise explanation, Shaka said no more.

He raised his hand and clapped twice.

Thud. Thud. Thud...

Heavy, perfectly synchronized footsteps came from a deep corridor behind him.

Their eyes were drawn over.

From the shadows of the passage, ten enormous figures emerged slowly.

They formed a line, marching with uniform steps like soldiers under inspection.

Each was nearly seven meters tall, like a moving fortress, their sheer size bringing silent pressure.

They all had the same appearance: wild blond hair, two long white mustaches pointing up toward the sky, and matching custom combat suits.

“Edward Weevil?” Gion could not help crying out.