"Y-Yes! Please follow me!" Diamante stammered, quickly trotting ahead to lead the way for Black Maria and the crew still on guard.
Meanwhile, Who's-Who and Sasaki coordinated efforts to gather all the SMILE fruits, assigning guards to keep watch over Doflamingo's unconscious body and his wary officers. They planned to secure everything for Kaido, hoping to avoid any additional chaos until he sobered up.
But their plans were abruptly upended.
A deafening dragon roar echoed through the air, sending shockwaves across the island. The Beasts Pirates froze, their faces turning upward in disbelief as Kaido, still visibly intoxicated, morphed into his dragon form. His massive, dragon body stretched hundreds of meters across the sky, his scales shimmering an iridescent blue.
Above them, Kaido's voice thundered, filled with rage. "JACK! I'LL AVENGE YOU!"
His enormous dragon form ascended, twisting through the sky in the direction of the G-2 Marine base. Who's-Who, Sasaki, and the other officers watched, dumbstruck by the governor's sudden escalation.
"Lord Kaido—he's heading for G-2 Marine Base!" Black Maria gasped, dashing back toward the remaining officers, her expression filled with urgency.
"Eh?!" Who's-Who and the others exchanged stunned looks, fully grasping the implications.
Meanwhile, at the G-2 Marine base, the aftermath of Jack's defeat was all but forgotten as life returned to routine. With Admirals Aokiji and Kizaru stationed there temporarily, morale had been high. The base bustled with activity, and even Luffy had settled into a fulfilling rhythm.
Luffy's days were a mix of rigorous training and relaxation. In the mornings, he sparred with Garp, honing his physical skills. Afternoons were dedicated to exploring his newfound Devil Fruit abilities, pushing the boundaries of his control. And at night, he spent time unwinding with Ain and the others, relishing the relationship he'd built. The thrill of his one-shot victory against Jack had ignited his drive to advance further, and he was especially eager to master his fruit's latent power.
There's so much more I can do with this, he thought one afternoon, as he gazed at the crackling electricity in his palm. Experimenting, he focused on magnetism, allowing the flow of electricity to generate a magnetic field around him. He concentrated on a piece of iron he'd placed on the ground, watching as it slowly lifted and clung to his palm as if drawn by an invisible force.
Using his powers to control magnetism was exhilarating. He adjusted his focus, making the iron piece hover gently in the air, then snap forward like a bullet, embedding itself into a target at the far end of the training area.
"That's good for warm-up," Luffy muttered, satisfied. But he was just getting started.
With a deep breath, he gathered a surge of electricity, channeling it through his body as he squatted down and pressed his hands against the ground. Concentrating, he felt the earth's natural magnetic currents, then exerted his own influence over them.
"Get up!" he commanded, pouring his power into the ground.
At first, there was only a faint tremor, but the shaking gradually intensified, spreading across the island. He grinned, feeling the vibrations grow stronger, but he hadn't expected how far his reach would go.
Inside one of the base's residential quarters, Kizaru lay on his bed, half-drowsy, reading a novel to pass the time. Suddenly, he felt the ground tremble, jolting him awake.
"Eh?" Kizaru tilted his head, looking at the glass of water on his bedside table. The water rippled with the vibrations, and his brow furrowed in confusion. "Am I imagining things, or does this feel like an earthquake?"
He dismissed it at first, but the tremors quickly increased in intensity, shaking the walls and knocking books off his shelves. The sudden surge in vibrations threw him off balance, nearly toppling him out of bed.
"Yare yare… This can't be good," he muttered, thinking back to a certain figure with a bad temper. He rolled off his bed and stood up, deciding to check outside. If it's who I think it is, I might just have to throw a Yasakani No Magatama and make a run for it.
Elsewhere on the base, Garp was regaling a group of Kuja warriors with tales of his youth, exaggerating his stories to impress the women. But when he felt the earth shake, a look of alarm crossed his face, his mind dredging up memories of fierce battles.
Ignoring the group of astonished Kuja warriors, Garp bolted in a flash, a rare look of seriousness on his face. Across the base, other Marines and officers, including Hancock, Ain, and Hina, all sensed something was wrong and began gathering toward the center of the base.
By now, the Marines were in full alert, the sudden earthquake sending waves of panic through the ranks as they scrambled for stability.
Back in his training area, Luffy grinned as he focused, his palms still pressed into the earth. The ground beneath him shook harder, amplifying as he channeled more energy into his surroundings. Soon, the tremors escalated into a full-blown earthquake, the force of his magnetic manipulation reaching new heights. He could feel his control strengthening as he manipulated the island's magnetic field, achieving a feat that felt as natural as breathing.
Around him, buildings shuddered violently, and windows cracked under the strain. The quake's force reached a magnitude high enough to rattle the entire base. Inside the barracks and armories, fragile objects toppled and shattered on the ground.
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