CHAPTER 179: CHAPTER 179: POST-WAR CLEANUP, THE RED-HAIRED MAN ARRIVES TOO LATE

Chapter 179: Post-War Cleanup, the Red-Haired Man Arrives Too Late

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Staring at the rows of pacifists in front of him, Sengoku couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

Even though these emotionless war machines were originally under their control, seeing them turn on the Navy like this was unsettling.

They still hadn’t found a way to properly handle what Vegapunk had created.

"Kuzan!"

Sengoku turned to Aokiji and called out sharply.

The fighting was over. Now it was time to clean up the mess.

Upon hearing his name, Kuzan immediately stepped forward. A massive wall of ice soon rose before everyone’s eyes.

While it seemed easy for him to freeze and neutralize the pacifists, Kuzan knew better. If Ryuunosuke and his crew were still present, he wouldn’t dare act so carelessly.

Machines weren’t like humans. When facing someone of equal power, it was definitely easier to fight a machine...

BOOM BOOM BOOM—!

Just as the Navy began to relax, every pacifist exploded one after another.

Sengoku had initially planned to have Borsalino deliver them to Vegapunk for inspection. But that idea had clearly gone up in smoke.

Luckily, the entire battle had been broadcasted live. The World Government would see everything.

"Sengoku, we should move headquarters."

Garp walked up with a cheeky smile and whispered beside him.

"Move headquarters?" Sengoku raised a brow. "Marinford’s location was chosen by the World Government. Where exactly do you suggest we move it?"

Typical Garp. Wild ideas, just like when he was younger—only now, age hadn’t slowed him down one bit.

"It was Ryuunosuke’s suggestion," Garp replied, scratching his head.

Hearing that name, Sengoku’s face darkened with frustration.

Had Garp been completely brainwashed by that kid?

"Forget it. Let’s deal with rebuilding Marinford first," Sengoku sighed.

Most of the Navy’s civilians and new recruits had been evacuated in time, but the casualties were still significant.

All things considered, it could’ve been worse. Facing both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Dragon Hunter Pirates and still walking away with the Navy mostly intact was already an achievement.

Especially the Dragon Hunter Pirates...

Two captains who were on par with the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Chrollo and the rest—every single one of them had strength equal to or surpassing the Warlords. Even the two sisters under Ryuunosuke’s command could go toe-to-toe with Mihawk.

Their overall combat strength far exceeded expectations.

At this point, it was fair to say the Dragon Hunter Pirates had reached Emperor-level status.

And they had only been active for two years.

That kind of meteoric rise was unheard of.

What baffled Sengoku even more—how the hell did Ryuunosuke manage to gather so many powerful individuals?

What kind of charm or mysterious power did this young pirate possess that made all these monsters willingly follow him?

Of course, no one would give Sengoku a straight answer to that.

He glanced at the wreckage of Marinford and sighed again.

Maybe Garp had a point... Maybe it was time to consider relocating Navy headquarters.

There were far too many things that needed to be dealt with now.

---

Meanwhile, a unique ship drifted into view just off the coast of Marinford.

"Looks like we’re too late."

Shanks gazed at the broken island, disappointment flickering across his face. The battle was clearly over.

He’d wanted to arrive earlier, but dealing with Kaido had delayed him longer than expected.

"Shanks, maybe it’s a good thing we didn’t get involved in this one," Beckman said as he handed Shanks a video recorder.

Though the war hadn’t lasted an extremely long time, it had stretched out for nearly two full days.

Shanks silently watched the footage, his expression gradually becoming more serious.

"The Dragon Hunter Pirates... That crew was really put together by that kid?"

After watching everything, he couldn’t help but mutter, "What the f*ck..."

Shanks had known a little about the Dragon Hunter Pirates’ strength before.

But the Akatsuki Pirates... and the Thunder God Pirates?

Both were newcomers who had quickly risen to fame in the Grand Line and had just been accepted as part of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

To think they were actually Divisions under the Dragon Hunter Pirates’ banner?

It was hard to wrap his head around.

At this rate, every powerful pirate or group that appeared felt like they had some connection to Ryuunosuke. It was starting to feel less like a coincidence and more like fate.

Shanks exhaled deeply. "No need to head to Marinford anymore."

"Let’s go find Ryuunosuke instead. We need to figure out what exactly he’s trying to do."

"And Blackbeard... that bastard’s hiding way more than we thought."

He set the recorder aside and gave new orders without hesitation.

While the Navy had preserved most of its core strength, the balance of power on the sea had clearly shifted.

With the Dragon Hunter Pirates gaining strength and Blackbeard still lurking with unknown plans... the seas were going to erupt with chaos again.

The Mythical Zoan fruit—whatever form Blackbeard had taken—was clearly far more dangerous than it appeared.

"Shanks, I don’t think it’s wise for us to contact the Dragon Hunter Pirates right now," Beckman interrupted, his tone serious.

"Whitebeard’s crew already seems to have ties to them. If we also make contact, it’ll raise a lot of eyebrows—especially during such a sensitive time."

"If two Emperor-level groups get close to them, the message we send could provoke the World Government into an all-out assault."

"They’ll want to nip this threat in the bud—no matter the cost."

Of course, the World Government already saw the Dragon Hunter Pirates as pawns to be manipulated.

But if the balance tipped too far, even pawns could become enemies.

"I get it." Shanks nodded slowly. "But I still want to meet him."

"Beckman, take care of what I told you earlier. I’ll go on my own."

Without waiting for a reply, Shanks disembarked alone.

Beckman sighed, watching him go.

"Still as reckless as ever..."

"Well, we’ll go too. We’ve got other things to take care of."

The Dragon Hunter Pirates would need to be part of their long-term strategy—whether they liked it or not.

The tides of the world were shifting again... and there was no way Shanks and his crew would be left out of it.

As that thought settled in, Beckman pulled out his notebook and began to jot down names, plans, and possibilities.

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