Chapter 107: A Brewing Crisis on Sabaody

As soon as Davis reached the shore, he spotted Vice Admiral Hodes hurrying toward the island. Without hesitation, he raised his gun and aimed straight at him.

“Don’t move a muscle, Navy officer.”

Feeling the deadly threat at his back, Vice Admiral Hodes turned to glare at the one blocking his path.

“Who are you?”

Davis could sense that Fields and his companion were getting closer, so he needed to stall Hodes a bit longer.

Just enough time for his allies.

“Who am I? Not sure I could say.”

“But I guess you could call me a pirate.”

The boats at the shore were all set—once his crew arrived, they could dive beneath the waves at a moment’s notice.

Hearing footsteps quickening behind him, Hodes gave a wry smile.

“So you’ve accomplished what you came for.”

He knew the Celestial Dragon had been attacked, but not that these pirates actually dared capture one.

If he’d realized the Celestial Dragon was in Halil’s grasp, he might have already clashed with Davis.

“Thud, thud, thud…”

“Move! Now!”

At the very first sign of Fields and Halil at the harbor, they dashed straight for the waiting boats.

Spotting the terrified captive held under Halil’s arm, Hodes’s eyes went wide.

“Wait—is that a Celestial Dragon?”

The next moment, Hodes launched an attack on Halil.

“Six Powers—Shave!”

“Finger Gun!”

“Bang!”

“Clang!”

Davis fired off a deadly shot at Hodes’s outstretched finger.

“Rustle, rustle, rustle…”

Hearing the commotion, Halil halted. Fields stopped beside him, watching Hodes cautiously.

“Leave him to me. You two go—see you on Fishman Island.”

Fields took the Celestial Dragon from Halil and met his eyes with a nod.

“Move quick.”

Halil grinned viciously then gave his neck a brutal twist, bones cracking with the motion.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

Fields and the others quickly turned for the boats—they were setting sail now.

Hodes charged at Davis immediately.

“Stop right there!”

“Boom!”

In the blink of an eye, Halil blocked Hodes’s path with a swinging whip kick as the vice admiral tried to rush past.

“You’re fighting me now.”

Watching in frustration as the boat sank below the waterline, Hodes turned his full attention to the Fishman blocking his way.

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” Hodes glared at Halil, voice seething with anger.

“Of course.”

Halil’s indifference only stoked Hodes’s fury.

He knew that capturing a Celestial Dragon on Sabaody would drag the entire region into chaos and endanger countless civilians.

“Finger Gun!” Hodes bellowed, driving his fingers forward like bullets toward Halil.

“Eight-Level Fist—Rising Elbow!”

Not to be outdone, Halil slammed his fist toward Hodes’s chest.

“Wham!”

Their attacks collided with a deafening crash, forcing both to stagger back several steps.

They each felt the other’s impressive strength.

Rubbing his chest, Hodes realized he couldn’t afford to let his guard down—this Fishman was stronger than he’d expected.

“Iron Fist!”

Hodes roared and swung at Halil with all his might.

“Eight-Level Fist—Crag Hammer!”

Halil threw his full weight behind a powerful blow, smashing straight at Hodes.

“Boom!”

Their attacks slammed together again with a heavy thud.

The fight only escalated—both men picking up speed and trading blows with ever-increasing force.

It was as if their battle tore the very air apart, filling the harbor with thunderous roars.

People nearby couldn’t help but stop running and stare, awestruck by the ferocity of their clash.

Meanwhile, Fields and his crew slipped quietly into the depths of the sea.

“Boom!”

Halil could sense Fields and the others now hundreds of meters beneath the surface.

As they drifted out of range of his Observation Haki, Halil broke off from the fight after a brief exchange and ran back toward the shore.

“Splash!”

He dove straight into the ocean, headed after Fields and the others.

Realizing things were spiraling out of control, Hodes immediately reached out to Fleet Admiral Hill at Navy Headquarters.

“Fleet Admiral Hill, there’s an emergency at Sabaody Archipelago—the Celestial Dragon has been kidnapped by Fishmen. I need backup!”

Hodes’s voice was sharp and tense.

“What? The Celestial Dragon’s been kidnapped?”

Fleet Admiral Hill sounded shaken. If anything happened to a Celestial Dragon, the entire Navy would come under immense pressure.

“That’s right. I need you to send reinforcements immediately, or Sabaody Archipelago will fall into chaos.”

Hodes pressed urgently.

“I’ll send backup at once. Find out who’s behind this and don’t let the Celestial Dragon get hurt, no matter what!”

After hanging up, Hodes stared out at the endless sea, worry gnawing at his heart.

But the very next moment, something clicked in his mind.

He realized he recognized the gunman from before. Wasn’t that one of Karl’s people? The last time Karl visited Sabaody, he’d stood at the bow of his ship, just watching from afar.

“Damn—could this be another scheme by Rocks?” Hodes gasped, finally grasping the gravity of the situation.

This might be a move for revenge by the Rocks Pirates.

He quickly picked up his Den Den Mushi to report again to Fleet Admiral Hill.

“Are you certain?” Hill’s voice was grim.

“I’m positive. When Karl’s ship passed through Sabaody last time, these same people were with him.”

Hodes spoke with complete conviction—he trusted his memory.

“This is bad.”

Worry weighed heavy in Hill’s voice. If the Rocks Pirates had really captured a Celestial Dragon, who knew what disaster might follow?

“Understood. I’ll handle it.”

Staring at the silent receiver, Hodes’s anxiety deepened.

He knew if they didn’t rescue the Celestial Dragon soon, Sabaody Archipelago could face a catastrophe.

And if the Rocks Pirates were involved, the consequences might be even worse.

Without delay, he led his squad back to their garrison at Sabaody, bracing for whatever came next.

He had to be prepared for anything the crisis might throw at them.

Navy Headquarters.

An emergency meeting was underway.

Fleet Admiral Hill looked stern as his gaze swept over every Navy officer present—including Admiral Wenhu, Kong, Sengoku, and the vice admirals Garp, Zephyr, and Tsuru.

“According to our informant inside the Rocks Pirates, they had no plans to kidnap a Celestial Dragon recently.”

Hill’s voice was low and serious.

The assembled officers looked at each other in confusion. If the Rocks Pirates weren’t behind it, who was?

Fleet Admiral Hill continued.

“It’s likely one of the pirates under their banner took action on their own.

Hopefully word hasn’t reached Rocks yet—if so, there’s still a chance to fix this.”

Hill paused, settling his gaze on Admiral Wenhu.

“Admiral Wenhu, I need you to head out.”

Admiral Wenhu stood up, resolve clear in his eyes. “Understood, Fleet Admiral Hill.”

Hill gave further orders: “Just go to the New World for intel, and try not to tangle with the Rocks Pirates.”

He then turned to Admiral Kong.

“Kong, I need you at Sabaody Archipelago. If anything goes wrong in the New World, move in right away.”

“Understood, Fleet Admiral Hill.”

Kong stood at once, determination shining in his eyes.

With the meeting ended, Wenhu and Kong set off—one to the New World and the other to Sabaody—to investigate the incident and prevent things from getting worse.

Sabaody Archipelago.

Back at base, Hodes wasted no time gathering every available Navy officer.

“The Celestial Dragon has been taken by pirates under Karl of the Rocks Pirates.”

“Starting now, Sabaody Archipelago is under lockdown.”

“Contact every resident and tell them to stay home—no one is to wander out without good reason.”

Hodes wanted to minimize civilian casualties and keep innocents from getting caught up in the chaos.

At the same time he ordered increased patrols, making sure every corner of the area was watched against attacks from the Rocks Pirates.

Yet days went by, and not a single sign of the Rocks Pirates appeared—the archipelago remained calm.

Hodes even started to question himself. Had he been wrong all along?

But what he didn’t know was that snatching the Celestial Dragon hadn’t been Karl’s idea at all—it was Halil acting on his own.

By now, the crew was drawing close to Beehive Island.