"Buggy, open the damn door."
Buggy had just picked up the Den Den Mushi when a familiar, cocky voice echoed from inside the broadcast.
For a moment, Buggy froze in silence before replying, his tone half teasing, half serious.
"Are you sure about this? That's your old family we're talking about."
"Oi, oi, Buggy, quit running your mouth like that!" Shanks snapped through gritted teeth. "Did you forget we're live right now, you bastard?!"
Buggy smacked his forehead, laughing awkwardly.
"Ah, my bad, my bad. But who cares? The Celestial Dragons are on their way to extinction anyway. You know me, Shanks. I ain't holding back!~"
Shanks let out a shrug, as if brushing off the weight of it all. "Doesn't matter. My parents died when I was a kid. The so-called grandfather and brother from the Celestial Dragons? They're strangers to me. I was tossed into the sea as a baby. I'm Red-Haired Shanks—always been a child of the sea and raised by the Roger pirates. The Celestial Dragons have nothing to do with me."
The entire world watching the live broadcast collectively gasped.
They had already been shocked by the unfolding events, but this revelation hit like a tidal wave.
What did they just hear? Red-Haired Shanks... was a Celestial Dragon?
The seas erupted.
"Shanks, a Celestial Dragon? No way!"
"But didn't he say he was thrown into the sea as a baby? That he's child of the sea? That's the Shanks we know!"
"This is insane... I never imagined Shanks had that kind of past."
"If even Shanks sides with Buggy now... the World Government is done for!"
"The Marines can't stop this! Their power is completely crushed!"
"Hahaha! The Celestial Dragons are finally gonna be wiped out! Good riddance to that trash!"
The entire world fell into a frenzy of celebration.
Where once there had been hesitant hope for the Buggy Pirates, the scales had now tipped decisively. With Red-Haired Shanks joining the cause, the world government's doom was almost certain.
All eyes were glued to the broadcast. No one wanted it to end. They wanted to witness the fall of the Celestial Dragons with their own eyes.
Buggy grinned wickedly and spoke again, his voice echoing across the seas.
"Since you've made your choice, Shanks... let's tear down this rotten world together!"
"Yeah," Shanks replied, nodding firmly.
Creeeeak...
Suddenly, a massive space gate opened at the heart of the Adam Tree's meeting grounds.
And the figures who stepped through shocked the world once more.
It wasn't just Shanks and his crew.
Behind them marched towering figures—dozens of giants, each over ten meters tall, armed to the teeth with swords and shields.
Gasp!
Viewers all over the world sucked in their breath in disbelief. Even the giants were joining the battle?
It had long been rumored that Shanks' true power base was hidden in Elbaf. Now, the truth stood before them.
And just as the world struggled to process this, two giants—hulking, rotund man and a slender, fierce woman—charged forward from the ranks, rushing straight toward the battlefield.
Under the giant's bewildered gaze, he suddenly pulled Juan into a crushing hug, tears streaming down his weathered face.
"Juan, you little brat! Have you forgotten your parents? I'm your father!"
The giant choked back sobs.
"Back then... your mother couldn't protect you properly. You were snatched away by those damn World Government traffickers... I never thought that fat little baby would grow up to be this strong."
He wiped his tears with a massive hand, his voice trembling.
"If it weren't for Shanks telling us about you, we wouldn't have believed it ourselves."
Even Buggy was caught off guard by the sudden family reunion playing out before him. He glanced over at Shanks, silently asking for an explanation.
Shanks shrugged casually. "After hearing what you said about Juan's past, I remembered my giant friends once told me about their missing children. It clicked, so I told them... Guess it really was their kid."
Buggy waved dismissively. "Touching, but we don't have time to throw a party. Now's the perfect moment to strike Mary Geoise."
Shanks raised an eyebrow. "What makes now the perfect time?"
Buggy grinned. "Garp, Sengoku, Kizaru, and Momousagi just left the Crimson Empire yesterday."
Shanks immediately understood. It wasn't that Buggy feared fighting Garp.
Back then, maybe. But now, after Redfield's complete power restoration, things were different.
Shanks was no stranger to the legendary Bat-Bat Fruit: Mythical Zoan – Vampire Form, a Devil Fruit from the annals of history. It granted immortality, restored youth, and even elevated strength beyond its peak.
No matter how powerful Garp once was, age was catching up to him. Meanwhile, Redfield hadn't just avoided decline—he had climbed even higher.
Shanks thought back. The old Garp might've been able to take Redfield down alongside Sengoku and Kong. But now? No way. The Redfield of today could crush him.
Shanks remembered the days when Redfield stood alone against the entire Roger Pirates.
It took the combined might of Commander Kong, Garp, and Sengoku to finally corner him. Redfield had fought Kong for days without rest, only to be ambushed by Garp and Sengoku when exhaustion finally caught up to him.
That was the Lonely Red at his peak.
And now, with the Vampire Fruit in his hands? His strength had surged back to or even beyond his glory days.
Shanks knew. Garp couldn't stop him anymore.
This wasn't just about avoiding Garp, though. Buggy had another reason. After all, Garp was Dragon's father.
Buggy had no interest in letting his future Admiral watch his old man die. Besides, why waste strength if they didn't have to? If they could strike while the World Government's key forces were away, they could tear through Mary Geoise with minimal resistance. Even if Garp wasn't Redfield's match anymore, he wouldn't go down easily, and drawn-out battles always carried risks.
Buggy might have overwhelming power now, but he wasn't arrogant enough to dismiss the World Government's 800 years of legacy and cunning.
As Buggy eyed the army gathered behind him, ready to storm Mary Geoise, a crooked grin spread across his face.
"Let's see if those Celestial Dragon scum can handle this kind of top-tier firepower."
He snapped his fingers.
"Blueno! Open the door!"
"Yes, Captain!"
With a flick of his hand, Blueno activated his powers, tearing open a gaping space door.
To the audience around the world, still glued to the broadcast, it was a thrilling sight.
And to their relief, the live feed stayed on. Cheers erupted across the seas.
Facing the towering Red Line beyond the space gate, everyone wore the same eager, almost feral grin.
This was it.
The battle was finally about to begin.
Would the Celestial Dragons fall? Or would the Buggy Pirates meet their end?
It didn't matter anymore—there was no turning back.
As Buggy stepped forward, Shanks, the Empress, Dragon, and the rest of the powerhouse coalition flanked him on both sides. Hundreds followed behind, crossing through the gate and arriving at the foot of the Red Line.
Blueno had done his job, but due to the limits of his CP9 clearance, he could only open a portal near the human lift station, the furthest point he'd ever accessed. Mary Geoise and Pangaea Castle still lay deep within the heart of the holy land.
They still had a ways to go before they could crush the Celestial Dragons.
Even so, the moment they stepped foot on the Red Line, the veterans among them instinctively spread their Observation Haki across the area.
And what they found made them scowl.
Below, at the colossal human elevator, and in the nearby slave pens, the scene was revolting.
Soldiers lashed slaves with spiked whips, sneering and jeering as they tormented them. It wasn't punishment anymore. It was pure sadistic abuse. Some slaves collapsed from exhaustion or were whipped to death, only to be dragged off like garbage and replaced by another poor soul from the cages.
And these were just the grunts.
The Celestial Dragons themselves? There was no doubt they were even more depraved.
Even from here, they could feel it—the thick, suffocating malice radiating from the nearby slave cells. The rage, the despair, the hatred.
No one dared imagine what horrors went on deeper inside Mary Geoise.
The gathered warriors clenched their fists in silent fury.
But no one moved. Not yet. This mission had a captain. And that captain was Buggy.
No one would act until he gave the word.
After all, they were the top brass. Liberating slaves was a job for their subordinates.
But Buggy surprised them. Without hesitation, he turned to Crocodile and Enel.
"Crocodile, Enel. You two split off. Wreck the elevator, wipe out the soldiers, and dump 'em into the sea. Let the slaves loose. Let 'em do whatever they want."
"Understood."
Without a moment's pause, Crocodile and Enel moved into action.
Under the stunned gazes of their allies, three Crocodile clones and three Enel clones materialized with a flicker of their abilities.
Whoosh, whoosh.
The clones soared down toward the human elevator, swift and deadly, receiving silent nods from their originals.
Buggy, satisfied, gestured for the rest of the army to move forward.
They pressed deeper into the heart of the Red Line, toward the shining spires of Mary Geoise.
They hadn't made it far when thunderous explosions erupted behind them—the sounds of destruction tearing through the slave elevators and nearby facilities.
None of them even bothered to look back.
Their Observation Haki told them everything. The entire human elevator had been obliterated.
The soldiers? Either shredded by Crocodile's sandstorms or fried alive by Enel's merciless lightning.
In less than a minute, the entire Human Power Department had been wiped out. Not a single soldier remained.
Under the cautious, bewildered eyes of the nearby slaves, Enel casually tossed one key after another into their cells.
Only then did the slaves finally grasp what was happening. These six fearsome figures weren't here to torment them. They were here to set them free.
"You... you're the cadres of the Buggy Pirates, aren't you? The King of the Desert—Crocodile, and Enel the God! I recognize you!" someone shouted, trembling.
The rest of the slaves broke into tears and cheers.
"Thank you! Thank you for saving us!"
"We're free! We're really free!"
"Is it true? Is Buggy really here, on the Red Line?!"
"Thank you, benefactors!"
Bang bang bang.
Some of them even kowtowed right there, slamming their foreheads against the bloodstained ground.
Crocodile and Enel, who were about to turn back after the clean-up, exchanged glances. They hadn't expected anyone here to recognize them—but then again, if these slaves were former pirates, it wasn't surprising.
Still, seeing them bow in desperation left a sour taste.
Crocodile scowled, his voice rough and commanding. "Don't kneel."
Enel crossed his arms, smirking.
"Crocodile is right. Our Captain Buggy doesn't like people kneeling at every turn. We're just doing what's convenient. There's going to be a war here soon, so get moving if you want to live."
The slaves gasped.
Someone actually dared to attack Mary Geoise, the untouchable stronghold of the Celestial Dragons? If it had been anyone else, they would've thought it suicide.
But if it was that man somehow, they believed it might just be possible.
With that, the clones of Crocodile and Enel left the elevator behind, ignoring the slaves' tearful thanks, and casually rejoined the main force as if they were on a sightseeing tour.
After a quick status report, the clones merged back into their original bodies.
The scene left many of Buggy's followers deep in thought.
Could Devil Fruits be used like that? Clones? Multiple bodies? Why hadn't they thought of it before?
Among the hundreds following Buggy, most were Devil Fruit users themselves. The clever use of Crocodile's sand clones and Enel's thunder clones sparked a wave of inspiration.
While Buggy's crew continued their slow, almost mocking march along the Red Line, the global live broadcast feed suddenly split into two perspectives.
On the left, the audience could see Buggy's forces advancing steadily toward Pangaea Castle.
On the right, a new scene appeared. Uta, along with Vegapunk, was being hurriedly escorted elsewhere.
At first, everyone's attention remained fixed on Buggy and his army. After all, the road to Mary Geoise was still long, and the Red Line was far from unguarded.
But as Buggy and his forces kept their leisurely pace, many viewers grew curious about Uta's side of the feed.
Where exactly were Uta and Vegapunk broadcasting from?
Until now, no one had noticed where she had appeared.
Soon, the viewers didn't just see Uta. A man with slick green hair was casually strolling behind her, drawing immediate attention.
Uta smiled playfully, noticing the shift in focus.
"Right now, I bet you're all wondering... Where exactly are we? And how are we broadcasting Captain Buggy's march from such a perfect bird's-eye view?"
She twirled the mic in her hand, her voice light but teasing.
"Before the battle kicks off, let me give you all a little tour of where I am. Oh, and I'm sure some of you are still curious about the guy who just walked by, right?"
With that, Uta stood up, and the camera followed her movement smoothly.
It didn't take long for the audience to see where she was.
They found her lounging in what appeared to be an enormous, opulent bed surrounded by futuristic tech, far beyond anything seen in the common world.
"Tesoro, say hello!"
As her voice chimed out, the camera panned toward the man with green hair, now crouched nonchalantly on a sleek, high-tech railing, overlooking the world below.
He turned lazily toward the camera, giving it a sideways wave and flashing a grin dripping with arrogance.
"Dear viewers... Hello there," he said, his voice soaked in theatrics. "Name's Gild Tesoro. That's right. The king of the underground, you're thinking of. Owner of Gran Tesoro. The Golden Emperor himself."
He tipped an exaggerated bow.
"And now? I'm honored to be part of the Buggy Pirates."
Boom.
The world watching the broadcast exploded into chaos once again.
But the shocks weren't over yet.
Because just as Tesoro finished his flashy intro, a stunning blonde woman strolled into frame. She wore a crisp, tight white suit, a short miniskirt, and thigh-high white suspenders over flawless, porcelain legs. Her gaze dripped with every emotion under the sun, playful, cold, seductive.
"Hello, darlings," she said in a silky voice. "I guess it's my turn."
She gave a little spin, her voice dripping with amusement.
"My name's Stussy. Though most people prefer to call me something else... The Queen of the Pleasure District."
She paused, letting the weight of her next words sink in.
"As for my real identity? Former CPO agent of the World Government. Now? Chief Intelligence Officer of the Buggy Pirates."
Bang.
Another underground emperor—right under Buggy's flag.
Viewers across the world lost their minds. How many trump cards does that man have up his sleeve?!
But Uta wasn't done.
With a cheeky smile, she moved over to the side of the ship, gesturing for the camera to follow.
"Time for the grand reveal," she giggled.
The camera tilted downward, revealing the behemoth vessel beneath them.
"Ladies and gentlemen... We're currently aboard the Buggy Pirates' flagship. The ancient warship Pluton."
Her voice echoed playfully, but the impact was devastating. In that single moment, the world was struck dumb with shock.
---
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