Sure.
The answer?
Of course, it was affirmative.
At this critical juncture.
Crack—!
Thunder suddenly boomed in the clear sky.
Amidst the rumbling, a bolt of azure lightning that spanned the entire sky streaked across the battlefield, and under the horrified gazes of countless people, it descended directly in front of Charles.
Boom—!
The lightning struck the ground, like a cannonball, and exploded violently.
With a hissing sound, endless arcs of electricity, like countless snakes, dodged Charles, Donald, and the others, radiating outwards.
The arcs of electricity directly struck the pirates' bodies, causing them to collectively scream, their bodies stiffening in an instant, their hair standing on end, and black smoke rising. The spear that had been aimed at Charles was blocked by a finger, entwined with azure arcs of electricity, extending from the lightning.
"What?"
"A single finger blocked Brother Mark's spear."
"Is this a dream?"
The pirates, looking at the finger that emerged from the lightning, instantly abandoned their opponents and quickly moved towards Ghost Hand.
They weren't fools. They could tell at a glance that the figure emerging from the lightning possessed a Logia-type Devil Fruit.
A Logia-type Devil Fruit!
Eating one of these made one a powerhouse, even in the New World, where strong individuals were abundant.
After all, although they knew about Haki, among their three pirate crews, totaling over a thousand people, less than ten had truly awakened it.
Donald shoved away the pirate stunned by the arcs of electricity and quickly walked up to Charles, supporting him and asking with concern, "Father, are you alright!"
"I'm fine."
Charles nodded at Donald, straightened up, and looked at the figure in front of him, who was somewhat slender compared to them, but appeared incredibly tall in their eyes. He said gratefully, "Thank you, thank you, young lady, for saving my life."
"Thank you!"
Donald, along with the gathered generals, bowed deeply and thanked Gu Yina.
Just now.
They had all thought Charles was doomed.
As the arcs of electricity dissipated, Gu Yina's full form was revealed.
She turned around, smiled lightly at Charles, and said, "Heh heh!! Uncle, there's no need for that. Sophie and I are friends."
"Sophie?"
Charles looked at Gu Yina's face, a look of confusion appearing.
Sophie had never left the island since she grew up, so he knew all her friends and had met them, but this person was not among them.
Mm… as if recalling something.
Charles suddenly raised his head. His face, which had been slightly pale from his brush with death, instantly flushed.
He stared at Gu Yina and asked with excitement, "Sophie, Sophie is still alive?"
"Mm!" Gu Yina nodded, "She's right behind us and will be here soon."
Saying that, she turned and pointed to the sky, "Look! It's right there."
Charles quickly looked up.
He saw a medium-sized sailing ship floating in the sky, rapidly approaching them.
Just then, the pirates also noticed the flying ship and all looked up, their faces filled with astonishment.
When had they ever seen a flying ship?
"Is that?"
The pupils of Ghost Hand, Hunter, and Mark simultaneously constricted.
They of course recognized the windmill emblem on the ship's prow.
Just a few days ago, they had seen newspapers with this windmill flag.
"How could this guy possibly be here?"
Looking at the white figure standing at the prow, the hearts of the three sank to the bottom.
This was someone who could fight Garp to a draw!
They had thought Gu Yina's figure looked a bit familiar. So she was the blue-haired Gu Yina, who had fought an Admiral for a day without falling behind.
The possessor of the strongest Logia-type, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, and also a great swordsman.
Gu Yina alone could wipe them out, and with Kong Tai joining in, just the thought of it made their hearts tremble.
They were not novices; they had been taught harsh lessons by their seniors and naturally knew the gap between themselves and the top pirates on the sea.
Furthermore, they knew the might of the Navy Admirals and the Navy Hero Garp.
Especially Garp.
Garp spent most of his time in the New World, capturing countless pirates, many of whom they wouldn't dare to provoke.
And now, someone on par with Garp had arrived here.
This made their heartbeats falter. As the Freedom approached, the mental pressure of facing an insurmountable opponent grew stronger.
"Run?"
The three exchanged glances and saw the fear in each other's eyes.
Facing such a strong individual, running was not shameful.
So… as if by telepathy, the three turned around simultaneously and quickly ran towards the sea.
If they ran fast, they might escape. Perhaps the silver-haired person was just passing by. Perhaps the silver-haired person would let them go like they were a fart.
They harbored such fantasies.
Seeing their leaders running, the remaining pirates also hurriedly turned and followed their leaders' footsteps.
All three leaders recognized this ship, and they of course knew who the owner of this ship was. Although their knowledge was limited, they didn't know how terrifying the people on this ship were, but they could make three great figures abandon their spoils and turn to flee.
It was obvious that they were no match for the Silver Hair Pirates.
If their leaders ran, and they stayed, wouldn't they be seeking death?
But… could they really escape?
In the face of a strong individual, even the weak had to see if they were truly willing to spare them.
On the Freedom, Ah Hua and the other two looked down at the fleeing pirates with mockery in their eyes.
"Want to run? It's not that easy."
The three crossed the railing simultaneously and descended.
The distance to the ground was only about ten meters, which was just a small step for them.
As they fell, their bodies gradually expanded, and by the time they landed, the three had transformed into three tall figures, four meters high.
They stood in front of the thousand-plus pirates, like three walls, unmoved by the pirates' rising momentum.
"Yohohoho! I'll go down and stretch my legs too."
Brook laughed heartily, his left hand behind his back, his right hand holding his sword. He spun in the air, then easily jumped over the railing and floated downwards.
Since boarding the Freedom, he hadn't had a fight and was itching for action.
In the past, when they encountered pirate crews at sea, Alo would finish the opponents with a few shots from a distance, and he didn't even have a chance to fight.
Now it was different. Below, there were enough pirates to be his enemies.
Although he was a musician, his strength was not weak.
Although his swordsmanship had regressed to below the level of a great swordsman since he became a skeleton, combined with the unique chill of his Underworld-Soul Fruit, it could still be very destructive.
Despite his age, his spirit was young!
Kong Tai didn't pay attention to Ah Hua and the other two or Brook. Although the three below were very strong, they shouldn't be able to cause much damage to Ah Hua and the other two, who had the replenishment of robots.
After all, with them around, they had a psychological advantage.
And as for those small fry, Brook should have no problem dealing with them.
He might be a little overwhelmed by the coordinated attack of the awakened Haki cadres, but wasn't he watching from the side?
With them around, it would be difficult for Ah Hua and the other two, and Brook, to get into trouble.
For these pirate forces, which had once destroyed Kokkuro's kingdom, in their hands, they could only serve as sandbags for Ah Hua and the other two to increase their combat experience.