MTLNOVEL Chapter 49: 49: Plan
Luffy's unshakable determination quickly spread to his crewmates and even the panicked pirates around them. The reputation of Straw Hat Luffy among pirates was already high, and under the leadership of the Straw Hat Pirates, the once disoriented pirates began following Luffy's lead, retreating alongside him.
"Hey, why are all of you running away?! Stop, you idiots!"
A rotund figure in a red bellyband emerged, yelling angrily at the fleeing pirates.
If they all ran, how was he supposed to test the combat capabilities of the Pacifista?
But the more Sentomaru shouted, the faster the pirates fled, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.
"Bunch of useless cowards… Nami-boss! What? No, no, I wasn't cursing you!"
Sentomaru pulled out a Den Den Mushi and called Nami. According to their earlier strategy, he was tasked with blocking anyone trying to escape to the port, while Nami led another twelve Pacifista to encircle the remaining pirates.
"Uh-huh, uh-huh, got it, I'll head there right now!"
Sentomaru nodded repeatedly at the Den Den Mushi. Nami-boss was the kind of woman who even had Admiral Kizaru wrapped around her finger. If it were anyone else giving him orders, Sentomaru might not have been so cooperative.
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Back at the plaza, Rayleigh and Kizaru continued clashing with their swords, the sound of steel ringing out again and again.
Suddenly, Rayleigh noticed that the pirates who had managed to escape earlier were now running back toward the plaza.
There was no way they were returning to fight alongside him. Piecing this together with Kizaru's earlier remarks, it was clear that the Navy had planned this ambush well in advance.
"You're not actually serious about this, are you?"
Rayleigh's mouth twitched. This didn't align with the Kizaru he knew.
Even though Rayleigh had been retired for more than a decade, he still remembered the younger Kizaru from his time as a Marine prodigy.
Unlike Akainu and Aokiji, who had been promoted to admirals in more recent years, Kizaru had grown up in the same era as Sengoku and Garp, honing his skills as a prodigy of his time.
Over the years, Rayleigh had encountered Kizaru on numerous occasions. While Kizaru's strength was undoubtedly formidable, his character and work ethic left much to be desired.
If not for his undeniable power, there was no way he could have climbed to the rank of admiral.
But now, this seemingly coordinated effort to round up all the pirates in one fell swoop? This had the meticulous planning of Tsuru or even Sengoku written all over it.
"What do you mean? I'm a Marine admiral who despises evil!"
Kizaru declared righteously, even adding more force to his strikes as he sparred with Rayleigh. It certainly looked more like a real fight now, though it was clear that he was still holding back.
Rayleigh suddenly felt a headache coming on.
Kizaru's subtext was painfully obvious: if he was acting, then Rayleigh had to play along.
Otherwise, if they broke the charade, things would get serious, and then it'd be every man for himself...
A few decades ago, Rayleigh wouldn't have cared about the threats from Kizaru.
But now, even at his peak, Rayleigh wasn't sure he could take on Kizaru.
It was baffling how Kizaru, despite not being particularly diligent, seemed to be on the verge of surpassing this level. Even if they were both pretending for the time being, Rayleigh couldn't shake the feeling of being under pressure, much like when he faced Whitebeard. It was almost ridiculous.
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"You're back too? The port is blocked off too?"
"What do we do now? The Navy's everywhere, there's no way out!"
"We're done for, we're really going to die!"
The pirates, who had been pushed back to the plaza, looked around in confusion. Upon closer inspection, they realized they had all been driven back. The Navy had sealed off all exits. Apoo and Drake had tried to force their way through together, only to be driven off by twelve "Kuma."
Soon, twenty-four "Kuma" appeared around the plaza, surrounding the pirates on all sides.
At this point, both Kizaru and Rayleigh paused, aware that the Navy's objective wasn't to deal with Rayleigh directly. Even though Kizaru was stronger, capturing Rayleigh wasn't an easy task.
Of course, if Kizaru was willing to use his stand ability, defeating or even capturing Rayleigh would only be a matter of time.
But if Kizaru made a move on Rayleigh, he would have to face Shanks, along with the remaining members of the Roger Pirates who had gone into hiding.
Even after Roger's death, no one dared underestimate those who had once sailed under his flag.
With Rayleigh as vice-captain, the remnants of the Roger Pirates were not weaker than the Yonko-level pirate crews.
But the main reason Kizaru hesitated was simple: even if he captured Rayleigh, Admiral Sengoku wouldn't give him a pay raise. Kizaru had no reason to stir up trouble for himself.
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"Damn Straw Hat! If I can't escape, I'll never forgive you!"
Bonney was nearly furious to the point of exploding. They, a mere group of Supernovas, had no business getting caught up with an admiral and the Navy's secret weapons!
Most of the pirates were still puzzled as to why there were so many "Kuma," but Bonney knew they weren't real.
"This situation is really bad. We'll probably be killed by those Kuma's attacks. I hope they aim well; if we don't die in one hit, we'll just have to endure the second one…"
Robin calmly said these terrifying words, causing Usopp, Kobe, and Chopper, the trio of cowards, to tremble in fear.
"Straw Hat, we're ready to team up and break out. Are you in?"
Law, carrying his sword, walked over. Behind him were Drake, Apoo, and the injured Kid.
Hawkins and Urouge seemed to have refused their proposal. After experiencing the despair of being crushed by Kizaru, the Supernovas had realized that they were not as strong as they had imagined.
Even if they teamed up, they wouldn't be able to fight against someone like Kizaru. It might be better to scatter, making themselves smaller targets, and maybe have a better chance of escaping.
"Ah, count me in!"
Luffy said seriously for once. Although he didn't think there was anything wrong with hitting the Celestial Dragons, he couldn't deny that it was because of him that his crew had fallen into this dangerous situation.
So, no matter what, he would make sure to get the Straw Hat Pirates out of Sabaody Archipelago. He was even willing to fight against an admiral if necessary!
"Rayleigh should be able to hold off Kizaru. We need to choose a direction to break through the Navy's encirclement while Kizaru can't make a move."
Law whispered. With so many pirates, it would be impossible to take them all—too slow and too obvious a target.
Drake and Apoo were only planning to take their closest crew members, and the Straw Hat Pirates weren't too large in number.
Only Kid wanted to bring everyone from the Kid Pirates, though he and Killer had promised to cover the rear.
Although Kid had been heavily injured by Kizaru's strike, his performance didn't seem all that bad. Considering Capone Bege and the Fire Tank Pirates were instantly wiped out by Kizaru, and all these Supernovas combined were being toyed with by him, it seemed that Kid's performance wasn't too shabby.
"Wait, if Rayleigh can't hold off Kizaru…"
Franky couldn't help but speak up. Law's plan sounded too dependent on the Pirate King's right-hand man. If Kizaru freed up his hands, everyone here would have only one way out—a dead end.
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