70 Chapter 61- Final preparations
The next day, the news of Water-7 becoming the territory of a Yonko was released. Needless to say, mass panic ensued. The public was in an interesting scenario. They were terrified to stay, as nothing good will become of being a Yonko's territory, and they didn't leave as well since they were so afraid of offending Luffy. Some did it "secretly" under nightfall, but Luffy knew everything, he just didn't care. The shipwrights that were the core of Water-7 didn't leave. They had the ideal location, and they knew full well that business will be better here than any other place due to Water-7's reputation and the fact that their decades-old homes were here. If anything, they won't have misbehaving pirates anymore. Pirates or World Government, they couldn't care less. They did business with both anyway.
But just to be safe, Luffy decided to give some news to a certain giant bird. He said that he'll welcome both Pirates and Marines in Water-7, and traffic on the island was busier than ever with people coming to Water-7 for all the talented shipwrights, but to also try to establish connections with Luffy. things were going great, but then the news reached the Marines.
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Sengoku wasn't having a good day. In the morning, a screaming Rear Admiral ran into his office to inform him of Luffy's atrocious move. Claiming Water-7, why didn't he announce a war against the World Government while he was at it. The Five Elders called him immediately for an emergency summon, and they had a lovely meeting about the subject. If by lovely you mean them arguing between themselves for an hour while he sat in his seat, giving a report or his opinion when he was asked to do so. He really couldn't argue with them, since they outranked him so badly and he didn't want to retire already. At least not until he can do something to wash away the "Marineford Massacre" as the public called it. He wasn't going to go out in shame, with his last remembered act being a huge failure.
After the Five Elders finished, they came up with their own plan, rendering Sengoku's useless. Much to his annoyance. Their new plan was to exert a ridiculous amount of pressure on Luffy, so much so that he wouldn't have a choice as he would lose in a fight. Since Sengoku redied two Buster Calls already, they used it as a base and jampacked it with Marines of the highest order. Not to mention, they added a ton of Warships to the point of almost sending half the fleet.
All Admirals, the best Vice Admirals, and Rear Admirals were to go, Sengoku himself would be in hiding nearby as reinforcements. They made Kong act as a replacement until the operation was over. This was the first time in history a Yonko claimed territory in Paradise and claiming such an important island was a power move and a challenge for the world government. They would need to confront him with pure force, since if they resorted to assassinations and the like they would be seen as a joke.
The list of combatants was long, switching out nearly all the regular Marines in the Buster Calls with Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals. Though Sengoku noticed that all the Admiral candidates were called as well. And the number of elite souldiers below Rear Admiral was ridiculous. He knew that since Luffy didn't have territory and public allies, numbers were his biggest weakness, but this was simply a mass suicide. The Five Elders ready to kill countless men in order to defeat Luffy, though even with this much force it wasn't a guarantee. "God damn it... I hope Garp can convince Luffy to go away quietly." Sengoku complained as he boarded a secret ship that tailed the Buster Calls.
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Due to the size of the fleet the Marines sent, word got out quickly that they don't plan to sit quietly. When Luffy heard it, he smirked. He knew that they were going to send it the big guns, like Fujitora, his Grandpa, and there's even a good chance that Sengoku will come as well. Though he wasn't sure about the last one.
"Straw Hat, remember our agreement," Paulie said seriously. "Don't worry, I have it covered. Not even one citizen will be harmed in the crossfire. We'll have the Marines so outnumbered that they won't have the luxury of aiming at Water-7" Luffy responded in a happy tone. "How can you outnumber the Marines? Do you have a secret force coming?" Paulie asked with curiosity. "Let's just say it has something to do with the sky, I don't want to spoil it before the grand entrance." Luffy teased Paulie. "As long as you keep your promise," Paulie walked off.
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The Marine ships surrounded Water-7 and prepared their attack. All the personnel was ready, but the cannons were empty. A confused Rear Admiral was about to ask someone why no one loaded the cannons, but before he could, Garp came over with a megaphone.
"Luffy, you cheeky brat! Get your ass over here, we need to have a talk!" Garp announced in a somewhat excited tone. There was a part of him that hoped that Luffy will attack since he didn't participate in a good battle in ages. Luffy also wanted this fight, and he was glad that the enthusiasm in his Grandpa's voice was so potent. It made his heart beat faster in anticipation.
As Luffy sailed to greet them, the Straw Hats gathered at the docks of Water-7 or at least the dock that had the clearest view of the Marines. No one spoke, as tension was up in the air. The tension only broke when Zoro noticed Luffy make a quick call, and a grin climbed his face. It seems the others noticed it as well since the shoulders of everyone fell a little as they loosened up.
Luffy arrived at the main ship and everyone on board immediately had their guards up to the maximum and a hand on their weapon. The negotiation attempts were about to start, and if they failed, which everyone knew they will as it was a simple formality, they needed to strike the isolated Luffy.
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Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed. I don't really have something to talk about, since I'm just doing school work and trying to realize that in a couple of months I'm done with school. Shame it had to be during COVID-19...
