Chapter 277: The Straw Hat Grand Fleet Assembles

This was practically a divine, unmissable opportunity. Kaido had stepped in to intercept Red-Haired Shanks, while Big Mom launched an all-out strike against the Revolutionary Army Supreme Commander, Dragon.

On the World Government's side, two Marine Admirals remained completely unengaged. As long as they seized this window, they could comfortably liquidate the Revolutionary Army's executive officers at top speed.

Once those threats were erased, victory would be absolute and undisputed.

"Right!" Ryokugyu and Fujitora traded a swift glance before vaulting forward in tandem, charging straight toward the Revolutionary Army's frontline.

Deep within the subterranean chamber, Aokiji watched the live feed in complete disbelief. "They actually entered into an active alliance with Kaido and Big Mom?!"

"What is so surprising about that? The current strategic layout is plain for anyone to decipher: the combined mass of two Yonko holds more than enough leverage to rewrite the outcome of this war. Had they failed to exploit that option, they would truly be absolute fools!" Im remarked, resting his chin on his palm with an airy, completely detached air.

Hearing those words, Aokiji went silent.

"In truth, it changes very little. They understand full well that the final conclusion of this era is already mathematically locked; acting like this merely serves to minimize their operational losses. After all... they are fundamentally incapable of winning!"

Meanwhile, across a sea quadrant roughly a hundred miles removed from the Holy Land, several dozen gargantuan pirate warships had assembled into a massive armada. Anchoring the absolute front of the fleet was a massive pirate vessel featuring Luffy's head as its figurehead.

The Barto Club!

It was the dedicated fleet commanded by Straw Hat Luffy's ultimate fanboy, Bartolomeo. Ever since the events at Dressrosa, after delivering Luffy's crew safely to the phantom island of Zou, he had spent his days sailing across the seas to aggressively expand the Straw Hat Pirates' sphere of global influence.

Right up to this very hour.

Encircling his flagship anchored nearly thirty heavy warships—a massive contingent rallied through his tireless efforts over the past two years. Among the faces appearing along the decks of the various ships were numerous familiar figures.

The 13th Leader of the Happo Navy—Don Sai!

Anchored directly behind his boots were eight dedicated warships of the Happo Navy, perfectly matching their legendary title. Originally, their fleet comprised merely a thousand warriors, with a couple of vessels easily carrying their entire complement.

Now, their active troop strength had expanded to a staggering eight thousand men!

"Everyone! It has truly been a long time!" Bartolomeo stepped up to the bow railing, his shining eyes sweeping across the surrounding flagships.

Gathered across the neighboring decks stood Don Sai, Ideo, Leo, Hajrudin, and Orumbus—every single commander representing the division leaders of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.

"Kakaka... It has indeed been a while!" Don Sai spoke up first, before pausing to look around. "Wait a minute... aren't we missing someone from our lineup?"

"Huh?" The commanders gasped in mild surprise, quickly executing a careful head count. After tallying the group three consecutive times, they verified that only six division leaders were present on the field.

Back when they formally established the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, their roster comprised seven representative captains.

"Who is missing?" the commanders asked.

"Gasp! That's right! We're missing that Cabbage fellow!" Bartolomeo slapped a hand against his forehead as the realization struck him. The Captain of the First Division—Cavendish!

"Exactly! Why hasn't Cavendish shown his face yet? Wasn't he the very guy who sent out the dispatches claiming the Straw Hat Pirates would definitely show up for this world-shaking war, telling us to rally our fleets in advance? How is he the one lagging behind?" Don Sai noted, a subtle twitch pulling at his lips.

Beside him, Baby 5 clung tightly to his left arm like a sweet, devoted bride, a faint blush dusting her cheeks every few seconds.

"Bwahahaha..." Don Chinjao chuckled warmly off to the side, thoroughly enjoying the view. Ever since shedding his long-held grudges, the more he observed his granddaughter-in-law, the more satisfied he felt with the union.

What brought him even greater pride was that Don Sai had inherited his martial legacy in full, proving himself thoroughly worthy of the title of 13th Leader of the Happo Navy.

Compounded by his standing as a division commander of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, his prestige across the seas had reached an entirely new tier. After all, the Straw Hat Pirates were now a full-fledged, undisputed Yonko-level power!

BOOM!

A sudden, thunderous detonation echoed across the distant sea surface.

"That was cannon fire! Report the source immediately!" Orumbus—acting as the fleet's supreme commodore—swept his arm out, issuing an immediate directive.

"I doubt anyone out here would be foolish enough to touch our tail..." Blue Gilly, the Longleg martial artist, mused with a faint, dangerous smirk, his tongue darting out to lightly lick his lips.

"Hahaha, if someone actually turned up to look for trouble, we'll just give them a proper demonstration of our Straw Hat Grand Fleet's true power! This counts as our absolute first official deployment under the Straw Hat banner... Hahaha!" Ideo, the Longarm boxer, chuckled smoothly.

Before long, field reports came flooding back: three pirate warships were slowly cutting through the waves from the rear sea sector.

All three vessels flew identical flags—a stylized pirate skull designed around the sharp profile of a stallion, framed by twin rapier blades crossed behind it.

It was the official emblem of the Beautiful Pirates, with the central warship being Cavendish's personal flagship.

"It's that Cabbage bastard!" Bartolomeo's eyes snapped wide as he pointed directly at the approaching warship.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Immediately following his words, another heavy sequence of explosive concussions echoed across the water.

The commanders stood along the railings, silently watching the distant scene, until someone finally broke the silence: "Wait... were those authentic artillery discharges just now?"

"Sounds like it... Yikes!" A sudden microsecond of realization washed over the group, and they traded sharp, startled glances.

"Don't tell me..."

"NOT GOOD! Cabbage has run straight into a mess!" Bartolomeo yelled in shock, springing into immediate motion.

"Quickly! We need to reinforce Cabbage at top speed!"

"Hard about! Turn the fleet around right now!" Orumbus roared, sweeping his arm wide.

It was only at this threshold that they fully comprehended the layout—the Beautiful Pirates had clearly been intercepted by a formidable hostile threat.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Massive, heavy footsteps echoed from the Giant Warrior Pirates' deck as Hajrudin stepped forward, his colossal frame towering over the railings.

"To dare launch an assault against a division of our Straw Hat Grand Fleet—I will make sure they pay for this outrage with interest!" Hajrudin growled, tightening his massive grip around his giant spear, radiating absolute confidence.

Currently, Hajrudin's Giant Warrior Pirates had expanded their ranks to nearly thirty giant warriors. While the head count might appear modest on paper, the physical strength commanded by a giant was mathematically multiple times that of an ordinary human.

The two tiers could never be evaluated along the same scale.

Even with merely twenty-plus giant warriors, their operational combat output on a battlefield was staggering.

As the main fleet closed the distance, the details of the clash finally became crystal clear to their eyes: a solitary, modest vessel was actively engaging the Beautiful Pirates' three heavy warships.

"Desert Spada!!" A sand-covered silhouette moved through the air like a localized storm, landing flush on the deck of the Beautiful Pirates' flagship. A sudden blast of compressed sand sent surrounding crew members tumbling into the sea.

"Crocodile! You absolute bastard!!" His long golden hair whipping in the wind, Cavendish unsheathed his famed blade, Durandal, driving a deadly, high-velocity thrust straight toward Crocodile's heart.

BANG!

A heavy gold hook collided violently with the slender rapier, generating a sharp shockwave that rippled across the deck.

"Tell me where Straw Hat Luffy is. You ought to know the answer..." Crocodile demanded in a detached, emotionless tone.

"Cabbage! Are you holding up?!" Bartolomeo waved frantically toward the Beautiful Pirates' flagship, but the second his eyes locked onto the figure standing opposite Cavendish, his expression froze in absolute shock: "Former Warlord... Crocodile?! What in the world are you doing here?!"

Cavendish strained to turn his head, his face lighting up with wild relief the moment he spotted Bartolomeo and the main fleet: "Barto! What are you waiting for?! Get over here and lend a hand!!"

Yet after waiting for several seconds, absolute zero reinforcement arrived. When Cavendish frantically looked back over his shoulder, he saw Bartolomeo standing lazily along his bow railing, casually digging his finger into his nose!

"YOU ABSOLUTE BASTARD!! Don't you ever give me an opening, or I swear I'll cut you into pieces!!" Cavendish roared, his face turning pale with pure, unadulterated fury.

"Hmph..." Bartolomeo couldn't care less. He casually flicked the booger off his finger, cupping a hand over his ear as he called out lazily, "What was that you said...? I can't quite hear you over the wind..."

Meanwhile, Cavendish was being forcefully pushed back by Crocodile's overwhelming pressure, his blade parries growing increasingly chaotic and desperate by the second.

Cavendish: "!!!"