At this moment, Zoro stood up.
He looked at Carl and asked seriously, "Mr. Carl, does Crocodile have any opponents who are a good match for me?"
Carl wasn't sure why Zoro was asking, but he still answered, "If this were before, Crocodile's top officer, Mr. 1, would have been a good challenge for you.
Mr. 1, also known as Daz Bonez from the West Blue, has the Dice-Dice Fruit, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that lets him turn his entire body into blades. He's pretty strong.
But now that you've mastered the ability to cut through steel and awakened Armament Haki, he's no longer a real threat to you."
Hearing this, Zoro smirked confidently.
"So basically, Crocodile doesn't have anyone who can match me!"
Carl was momentarily stunned and had a bad feeling about this.
Zoro turned to Luffy. "What do you think, Captain?"
Luffy grinned mischievously. "In that case, Zoro will stay behind with Mr. Carl to intercept Akainu and make sure the Merry stays completely safe! That's an order from your captain!"
Carl sighed and spread his hands helplessly. Zoro had really come up with a bold plan.
But it wasn't necessarily a bad idea. This time, Akainu didn't seem to have brought any Vice Admirals with him. His subordinates, mainly Rear Admirals and Commodores, could serve as decent opponents for Zoro.
What surprised Carl even more was that Usopp suddenly stepped forward.
"Then I'll stay too! I can't leave the Merry unprotected. Plus, I can fly and snipe from long range—there's no way Marine warships can get past me, the great Usopp!"
That actually made a lot of sense.
But this also meant fewer people would be available to help Vivi!
Carl noticed that Luffy seemed interested in staying as well, but stopping him wouldn't be easy. In Luffy's mind, intercepting Akainu was even more dangerous than fighting Crocodile, so having more people around for backup was the safer option.
However, Vivi still needed help to stop the war.
At that moment, Sabo spoke up. "Some of the rebels are actually part of the Revolutionary Army.
Originally, we planned to use the rebellion to spread the ideals of the revolution. But since the uprising might be prevented, it's not a good idea for us to get too involved.
I'll contact our people and tell them to delay the general attack as much as possible."
Carl's expression turned a bit strange.
Sabo… are you really saying this so openly in front of a princess?
Vivi was briefly surprised but quickly bowed in gratitude. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Sabo!"
Sabo simply smiled, waved his hand, and then leaped off the Merry without another word. By the time everyone processed what had happened, he had already disappeared.
With Sabo's support, the pressure on them eased considerably.
But it still wasn't enough. The Revolutionary Army members hidden within the rebel forces could only stall for time, and not for long. More help was needed.
Carl turned his gaze toward Tashigi.
Without hesitation, he removed the high-quality sword, Snow Walk, from his waist and solemnly placed it in front of her.
"Mr. Carl, what are you doing?!" Tashigi's expression tensed.
"Tashigi, our agreement no longer stands. From now on, Snow Walk belongs to you!"
Carl spoke seriously. "You know that Smoker has arrived in Alabasta. With how sharp he is, he'll definitely notice something is off in this country.
Leave the Straw Hats and return to the Marines. Go to Alubarna and report everything to Smoker!"
"You want the Marines to take control of the situation?" Tashigi clenched her fists.
"You decide that for yourself," Carl said firmly. "Tashigi, see for yourself, think for yourself, and act according to the justice in your heart. No matter what choice you make, it's up to you!"
Tashigi struggled internally, her emotions in turmoil.
But after a moment, she gritted her teeth, shut her eyes tightly, and accepted Snow Walk. As soon as she did, tears welled up and streamed down her face.
Carl then turned his attention to Law.
Law immediately sensed Carl's intentions, and a bad feeling crept over him.
Carl grinned. "Law, if you don't use your Devil Fruit ability, you probably can't cut steel yet.
Look, Mr. 1 is right there in front of you.
If you want to reach the level of a true swordsman, you know what you have to do.
Just like Bepo and the others, you need real battles to grow stronger. Besides, doesn't fighting sound fun to you?"
Law glared at Carl, gritting his teeth. "Not even a little!"
"Heh, you won't get stronger without experiencing tough battles.
It's just Crocodile. Think of this as your test against a Warlord of the Sea. Besides, your submarine is under my protection.
Do you really think Akainu won't notice it once it submerges?"
"You're underestimating a Marine Admiral! Are you sure you don't want to help me? Akainu already sees you as an accomplice!"
"...Damn it! You totally tricked me into this!"
Law scowled in frustration. "If you don't teach us Haki in the future, I won't let you off!"
The Straw Hats all laughed.
With more allies stepping up, things were looking much better.
Luffy raised his fist high and shouted, "Alright! That's the plan! Teacher Carl, Zoro, and Usopp will stay behind to intercept Akainu and protect the Merry and the submarine. One group will follow me to fight Crocodile in Rainbase, and the other will go with Vivi to Alubarna to stop the war!
Everyone, survive and win this battle!"
"Ohhh!!!" The crew raised their fists in unison.
Carl, Zoro, and Usopp quickly disembarked, sneaking onto the shore.
Before leaving, Carl made sure to remind everyone that Mari was also guarding the ship along with Momoo. Since Mari had previously been a member of Baroque Works, it was a fitting role.
Fortunately, guarding the ship was an important task, and since Mari preferred to slack off anyway, she gladly accepted the job.
As for the four captives, Luffy had promised Mari that they would be released once everything was over. Carl trusted that she wouldn't cause trouble in the meantime.
Watching the Merry sail away, Carl, Zoro, and Usopp grew serious. Facing a Marine Admiral's fleet was extremely dangerous, but they had no choice.
At that moment, Usopp's usual cowardice kicked in.
"H-Hey, Mr. Carl… Akainu's subordinates… they're not gonna be too strong, right? Are Zoro and I really going to be able to handle this?"
"Scared? You can stay behind if you want," Carl said, rolling his eyes. But then, he reassured him, "Akainu didn't bring any Vice Admirals this time. At most, there are one or two Rear Admirals and some Commodores. The rest are just stronger-than-average Marines."
"They're basically just small fry.
There was a Marine with a Bird-Bird Fruit ability before, but he got injured by Sabo. You don't have to worry too much—just focus on sniping from the sky."
Usopp let out a huge sigh of relief.
If Carl said it was safe, then it should be fine.
Especially since Akainu only had one injured Devil Fruit user under him—that meant there wasn't much of a threat to him. Plus, even if someone used Moonwalk, Usopp's flying speed was faster than theirs.
Feeling reassured, Usopp happily took off into the sky to keep watch.
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