Who are those guys? Where's the squad? one of the Five Elders asked, furiously smashing the wine glass in his hand.
"W-we're sorry, sir... We lost contact with them a few minutes ago," a CP0 agent reported, trembling.
Buruburu.
The Den Den Mushi began to ring like a divine message from the heavens, immediately drawing the council's attention.
"What happened? Why did new people appear?" another CP0 member asked hastily.
"I'm sorry… we were sunk. We launched a surprise attack on an enemy, but then someone with red hair showed up… and destroyed our ship with a single blow! When we tried to counterattack, he just knocked out most of our men like they were insects... We tried to use our numbers, but just looking at us, we felt an indescribable pressure full of fury… It was like we were facing a Yonko!"
The voice on the other end of the line trembled, desperately making up excuses to explain their humiliating defeat... In truth, many had simply fallen into the sea from fear.
"Useless fools..." growled another of the Elders.
"Regroup and wait for a better moment to act. If you can't, then simply retreat," ordered the calmest of the Elders.
"Understood," replied the voice on the other end.
…
While Wendy finished healing Kara, Hancock rushed over, her face full of concern.
"Kara! Are you okay?" she asked anxiously, checking her from head to toe for any injuries.
But of course, Wendy's magic was more than efficient. Kara was completely healed.
Wendy and Cana stared at Hancock with surprise… and a bit of admiration. The pirate empress's beauty was undeniable, as was her towering height.
"So tall..." Cana commented.
"So big..." Wendy murmured, clearly not just referring to height, before lowering her gaze to her own chest with resignation.
"Who are they?" Hancock asked, frowning and going on guard as she noticed the girls seemed to know Kara well. Her jealousy was obvious.
"My younger sister and my daughter," Kara answered with a wide smile as she lovingly hugged Wendy.
"D-d-daughter...?" Hancock repeated, falling into complete shock.
"Kara, don't lie!" Wendy protested, blushing with embarrassment.
"Looks like I rushed in to save you for nothing..." came Zoro's voice as he approached, visibly wounded.
The swordsman had fought his way through the chaos to get there.
"Oh, Slave Number One, you're here. Wendy, please heal him," Kara said naturally. Then she turned, noticing something. "Wait… Now that Natsu and Gray are here, we'll have to rearrange the slave rankings," she added while watching the ongoing battle.
On the field, Natsu was competing with Gray, knocking down pirates one after another while yelling over who was winning.
"Still at it, huh?" came Lucy's cheerful voice as she approached the group, smiling when she saw Kara. Behind her came Koki, who immediately jumped on Kara with a big hug.
"Kara! I missed you so much! Why didn't you come to the guild? I've had to spend all my time with old man Issho! And he can't even watch a movie without falling asleep!" Koki rambled at lightning speed, barely pausing to breathe.
"It's weird seeing you all together. And… why are Luffy and his friends with you?" Kara asked as she greeted Koki, pointing toward the floating ship, where Issho was seen with the Straw Hats… Luffy was tied to the mast, struggling while Nami scolded him.
"Oh, Ace asked us to watch over them. Since they wanted to see the war, we brought them along, but we're not letting them intervene, just like you asked. Also, we met the Fairy Tail guys. The moment I saw Cana and noticed she looked like you, I wanted to kidnap her… but Issho wouldn't let me," Koki explained at a dizzying speed, though Kara was already used to it.
Koki, S-rank, number 4 of the bounty hunter guild. Sweet and deadly. She had been rescued years ago by Kara when traffickers tried to sell her as a slave. Back then, Kara destroyed the trafficking center along with several illegal outposts in the archipelago"while simply enjoying a day at the park.
"Wait, Koki! If you knew Kara and saw our emblem, why didn't you ever say anything?" Lucy demanded with a raised eyebrow.
"I did mention it the whole way here! You guys just didn't pay attention!" Koki snapped indignantly.
Truth be told... she talked so fast it was hard to keep up.
Meanwhile, Hancock, still shaken by what she had heard, recognized Koki's voice… and suddenly snapped in fury.
"You!? What are you doing here!?" she spat with contempt.
"Hellooo~!" Koki greeted innocently, not noticing the venom in Hancock's tone.
"Stay away from Kara!" Hancock yelled, launching a fierce kick.
Koki dodged gracefully, leaping back with a smile still on her face.
"Still as slow as ever, Boa," she mocked.
Hancock roared in rage and began chasing her.
"What's wrong with them?" Wendy asked, finishing healing Zoro, who cheerfully returned to the fight.
"They've always been like that. Best not to pay attention," Kara replied calmly as she stretched her muscles.
"Kara, it's good to see you again," said Makarov, approaching with his characteristic smile, followed by Mirajane and Erza.
"Old man! I'm so happy to see you! I thought I'd never see you again!" Kara exclaimed, picking up Makarov and spinning him around like a whirlwind.
"Wait, wait! Put me down!" the guild master pleaded as he spun uncontrollably.
"It's good to see you two as well," Kara said, looking at Mirajane and Erza.
"No doubt. You're taller now and seem more mature... but you're still the same Kara," Erza said with a soft smile.
"And it looks like you're still very popular…" she added, glancing at Hancock still fighting with Koki.
Her words made Erza frown and shoot a frosty glare at Kara. A shiver ran down the dragoness's back.
"Well… in my defense, I've spent nearly thirty years here… N-no, I've got no defense," Kara said, dropping to her knees with a guilty expression and her hands up.
"Thirty years?" Lucy repeated, surprised.
"Yeah. For some reason, I appeared here as a baby. That old man's son found me," Kara said, pointing to Garp, who pretended not to hear, but it was clear this was the first time he'd heard that part of the story. Kara would have a lot to explain to him later…
"How many?" Erza asked seriously, her tone now loaded with meaning.
"How many what?" Kara asked, feigning innocence.
"How many women did you get in this unknown world while I wasn't around?" said Erza, narrowing her eyes with a gaze as sharp as her sword.
"Ahem… a lady never"" Kara tried to reply, but seeing Erza's face harden, she had no choice but to spill it. "Hancock, Gion… and maybe Nico Robin…"
"Well, seems like you held back quite a bit," commented Lucy, a mocking smile on her lips.
"Hey! Can you leave that for later? We're in the middle of a war!" yelled Makarov, who had finally gotten over his nausea.
"Oh, right… Pirates get bounties for each one they defeat. Sengoku has to pay, even if you offered Fairy Tail as support in this war. That doesn't affect the rewards!" Kara quickly added, taking advantage of the master's distraction to change the subject.
"Really? Then what are you all waiting for? Go after the most valuable ones!" exclaimed Makarov, euphoric.
"Master…" Mirajane looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey, we need money! We'll be trapped in this unknown world for two years!" replied Makarov, crossing his arms as if it were a perfectly valid excuse.
"Two years?" Kara asked, puzzled.
"We'll explain later," Cana said quickly.
"By the way… where's Mom?" Kara asked, looking among the people gathered on the flying ship.
"She stayed on that island full of trees. Lissana and Levy stayed with her at a bar called 'Shakky's Scams,'" Cana answered, trying to reassure her sister. "We couldn't bring her to such a dangerous place without knowing what we were facing. Besides, the woman named Shakky quickly became friends with Mom. Even the old man who showed us how to get here seemed to live there."
"So with Rayleigh… then she'll be fine," Kara said with relief.
She had known Rayleigh since her rookie days. More precisely, she had sought him out on purpose to challenge him to a fight. Since then, she used to visit him once a week in Marineford, just to fight him for fun. You could say they were… acquaintances.
"Hurry up, Kara! Tell us who the most valuable ones are!" said Makarov, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Well… setting aside the Whitebeard guys, since they're already at war with the Navy, you could focus on Kaido's crew. The most valuable ones are that guy in weird leather, the fat one with ridiculous braids… and the one with the stupid face," Kara said, mercilessly pointing at King, Queen, and Jack.
"Each of them is worth more than what Fairy Tail spends on repairs every six months… or more precisely, what all of Hargeon earns in a whole year," she added, leaving everyone speechless.
"Can someone really be worth that much just for capturing them?" asked Lucy, who, despite having left her noble title behind, was still shocked by those numbers. "Although… now that I think about it, what's more concerning is that Fairy Tail spends as much as an entire port, which is also the center of trade."
"They're pirates," Kara replied seriously. "They kill, rape, destroy. Their prices go up with every crime committed. Though some, like them," she said, looking at Kaido's commanders, "have such prices just because of how dangerous they are. Not all of them are innocent adventurers."
"I see…" said Makarov, also growing serious. "Then we can capture them without feeling bad… Erza, Mirajane… and you too, Laxus!" he shouted with a grin as his grandson turned around, eyes locked on King, lightning crackling around him.
"Capture those pirates!" he ordered firmly.
"Then… now that I'm feeling better," said Kara, with a fiery smile, "it's time to continue my fight!"
She tore off her battle-torn shirt, tossing it aside. She was wearing only her bikini top, and the Fairy Tail symbol shone proudly on her abdomen.
"Whether as a Marine… and as a member of Fairy Tail!" she roared as her combat instinct blazed once more.
"Wendy, I need a favor. Uta and Chopper will help you," Kara ordered firmly before launching herself back into the battlefield like a storm.
Meanwhile, Erza, with restrained rage glowing in her eyes, and Mirajane, with a calm yet dangerous smile, charged toward their enemies.
Laxus, upon receiving his grandfather's order, grinned with fierce excitement as lightning cloaked his body.
And on another side of the battlefield…
Gildarts and Kaido's fists collided!
The ground around them shattered from the impact.
"We'd better take this somewhere else…" said Gildarts with a defiant smile, raising his other fist charged with magic.
"Empyrean: Power!" he roared, and his blow sent Kaido flying into the sky, far beyond Marineford.
But even as he flew backward, Kaido laughed like an unleashed demon.
"GWAHAHAHA! Of course! Let's go wild!" he shouted, opening his mouth to release a blast of fire, which Gildarts shattered into cubes with a magical clap as he propelled himself to chase Kaido. Their battle would continue far from the island… to avoid endangering the others.
...
"Hey, old man? Missed me? I didn't. But I have to defeat you if I want to look cool," said Kara, suddenly appearing in front of Whitebeard.
"Tch… You again? What do I have to do to kill you once and for all?" roared the legendary pirate, swinging his naginata to slash at the annoying warrior.
"You know… in Fairy Tail we have a saying. 'What doesn't kill us…'" said Kara, slamming her fist into the blade of his weapon, "…makes us stronger!"
A massive shockwave exploded around them. The sky cracked, the air trembled, and everyone looked up in awe. The power of the impact seemed to split the heavens.
"And right now… I'm at 200%!" Kara shouted, a smile full of pride, excitement… and pure destruction on her face.