Chapter 114: Sorry, There Was a Little Accident in the Plan?

Around the waters of Cyborila Island, several massive Marine warships had formed a blockade. The small island itself was engulfed in flames, turning it into a vision of hell on earth. Amidst the burning landscape, remnants of what appeared to be an enormous construct lay in ruins, likely the work of Douglas Bullet's devil fruit abilities. The battle sounds echoed across the island, clashes of Armament Haki, bursts of Conqueror's Haki, and powerful energy explosions made it seem as though fireworks were being set off.

On one of the warships encircling the island, Vice Admiral Kuzan stood with a pensive expression as he gazed out at the distant sea. Behind him stood Chief Staff Officer Tsuru, her sharp eyes scanning the scene.

"Chief of Staff, if we're counting the time, Byrnndi World should have arrived by now, right? What's the holdup? Do you think something happened to Garp?" Kuzan asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

Tsuru's usually composed expression was tinged with worry. They'd received a report from Garp's ship earlier confirming that Byrnndi World had appeared in the designated area. By all calculations, he should have been here by now.

"Garp isn't always the most dependable, but when it comes to missions like this, he won't be careless," Tsuru said quietly.

"If World doesn't show up soon, this whole act will be for nothing. It's been nearly three days already, and I'd bet Admiral Sengoku's patience is wearing thin," Kuzan muttered.

At that moment, Sengoku, Borsalino, and Gion were locked in a prolonged battle with Douglas Bullet on the island. The trio could have finished Bullet off, but they were playing their roles to lure in Byrnndi World. Borsalino, with his nonchalant attitude, was content to drag this out, claiming he could keep it up for another ten days. But Sengoku and Gion were nearing their limit, and frustration was starting to show.

As Kuzan and Tsuru discussed the situation, the lookout on the mast shouted down, "There's movement! But it's not Garp's ship or Byrnndi World's vessel—it's a pirate ship... wait, I can see it clearly now! It's Sand Crocodile's ship! Vice Admiral Kuzan, should we intercept it?"

Both Kuzan and Tsuru looked momentarily taken aback. Crocodile? What was he doing here?

"Stand down. Let them come," Kuzan instructed.

"But—" the lookout hesitated. Crocodile was a notorious New World pirate, after all.

"It's fine; it's part of the plan," Kuzan said firmly.

Moments later, Crocodile's ship drew up beside Kuzan's warship. The Marine vessel towered over the pirate ship, and from the deck, Kuzan and Tsuru looked down to see a surprising sight: Garp and Claudius were standing aboard the pirate ship.

Kuzan's and Tsuru's eyes widened in shock. Garp's dog-headed warship was nowhere in sight, suggesting something had gone seriously wrong. Had they been defeated by World? Had he managed to escape?

"Garp!" Tsuru called out, her tone sharp and questioning.

Garp waved up at her with a broad smile. "Hey, Tsuru! Haven't wrapped up with Bullet yet? Hahahaha."

Tsuru's brow furrowed. "You didn't bring Byrnndi World here as planned, so of course, we haven't moved in yet. Where is he? And where is your ship? Did the operation fail?"

"Fail? Are you kidding me?" Garp scoffed, crossing his arms. "It's just Byrnndi World. Do you really think we'd fail against him?"

Tsuru's eyes narrowed. "Then where is he? And what happened to your warship?"

Claudius stepped forward, an amused smile on his face. "Relax, Chief Tsuru. The plan hit a few... unexpected bumps, but we've essentially completed our task. Now, we can put our full attention on taking down Bullet."

"'Unexpected bumps'?" Kuzan echoed, raising an eyebrow.

Claudius cleared his throat, a little embarrassed. "Well, let's just say Byrnndi World wasn't as tough as we anticipated. Things got a bit heated, and, well... we ended up subduing him on the spot. He's locked up on this ship now."

Kuzan's jaw clenched, trying to process the absurdity of it all. They'd been waiting here for days, only to find out that the enemy they were trying to lure had already been captured?

Tsuru, however, quickly understood and took control of the situation. Trusting Garp and Claudius's word, she pulled out a Den Den Mushi and spoke into it. "Attention all units: the plan has changed. Byrnndi World has been captured. Proceed with the operation to capture Douglas Bullet immediately."

As soon as Tsuru's command was issued, a warship in the distance fired a massive volcanic shell toward the island. Kuzan recognized the attack instantly and muttered, "Sakazuki... looks like he's been holding back too long and finally snapped."

On Cyborila Island, Sengoku in his golden Buddha form was exchanging fierce blows with Douglas Bullet. The larger construct Bullet had initially formed was now reduced to rubble, but he had managed to create a smaller, but still formidable, machine to match Sengoku's size.

Borsalino stood on the sidelines, lazily firing occasional laser beams with a relaxed expression. Meanwhile, Gion, gripping her blade Konpira, seemed on the edge of losing her patience. Just as she was preparing to strike again, her Den Den Mushi rang, and she picked it up.

The voice of Tsuru came through, delivering the long-awaited news. As the message sank in, Gion's eyes lit up, and she shouted, "Byrnndi World is down! Admiral Sengoku, we can go all out now!"

Sengoku blinked in surprise as Gion suddenly transformed into a pink blur, moving faster than she had throughout the entire fight. Even Douglas Bullet was caught off guard, not expecting such a sudden shift in the battle.

The next moment, Gion appeared in front of Bullet, her eyes fierce and determined. Without giving him a chance to react, she delivered a powerful kick to his chest.

"Soru!" she cried out as her attack connected.

Having fought for three days and nights, even a powerhouse like Bullet was exhausted. He couldn't respond in time to Gion's sudden burst of strength. Her kick shattered the machine he was controlling and sent his muscular frame crashing backward.

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