Chapter 42: The Supernova Alliance

"Straw Hat! Any interest in teaming up to take down a Marine Admiral?"

Kidd couldn't care less about the consequences. He had exercised so much patience up until now, only for the Straw Hat Pirates to pop up and attack a Celestial Dragon anyway.

Since they were going to have to make a run for it from a Marine Admiral next, and a fight seemed inevitable no matter what, he might as well rope in a few heavy hitters to clash with the incoming Admiral.

At least Kidd was quite confident in his own strength; if he could just get three—no, two guys on his level—he would dare to try facing a Marine Admiral head-on.

"Hey! Luffy, don't do anything reckless!"

Sanji was utterly horrified upon hearing this, and even the usually fearless Zoro clenched his teeth.

When facing Dracule Mihawk face-to-face back then, Zoro could swing his swords without hesitation because the worst possible outcome was simply being hacked to death.

But if they were to take on a Marine Admiral now, even if he wasn't afraid of dying himself, he worried about dragging his comrades down with him.

"Sure! The Marine Admiral is that ice guy, right? I've got a score to settle with him!"

Luffy grinned, an excited expression lighting up his face. He had lost too quickly last time and hadn't even had time to react, but this time he was fully prepared. Even if they couldn't win, he was going to figure out how he lost!

"Then count me in!"

Seeing that their captain had already made up his decision, Zoro's face also broke into an expectant smile.

"Splendid! That makes five Supernovas already. Just need to rope in two more and we'll be all set!"

Kidd looked at Luffy with genuine admiration; if the timing hadn't been so wrong, the two of them might have gone looking for a tavern to share a drink and become sworn brothers.

"I haven't agreed yet, hey! Don't drag other people into your mess for no reason!"

Bonney was completely dumbfounded. Weren't they just discussing how to make their escape a moment ago? How did these two idiots end up deciding to challenge a Marine Admiral mid-conversation?

Were those monsters the kind of beings their so-called Supernovas could even hope to touch?

"What a bunch of idiots..."

Sanji couldn't help but cover his face, only to find that the masked weirdo opposite him was casting a sympathetic, kindred-spirit gaze in his direction.

Two people who had never met before, and had never even spoken a single word to each other, suddenly felt a deep mutual understanding as soulmates.

"Go find the other Supernovas on the island! Anyone else who wants to try challenging a Marine Admiral can come along too!"

Kidd was growing rather impatient; this was a rare, grand spectacle.

Even if they ultimately proved no match for the Marine Admiral, it would be worth it just to figure out how massive the gap was between himself and those monsters.

"This really is a headache..."

Robin smiled with a hint of helplessness. If this had happened before the Enies Lobby incident, she would never have let Luffy pull such a stunt no matter what.

"Yo-ho-ho-ho, that's our captain for you... Though just thinking about facing a Marine Admiral makes my heart beat so fast—oh wait, I don't have a heart!"

Brook was still fooling around with Chopper and Coby. Having lived in solitude for fifty years, Brook could crack jokes without a shred of pressure no matter the situation.

"Waaaaah, we're done for, we're definitely going to die this time..."

Usopp clung to Franky's thigh, crying buckets of tears and snot. Their opponent was a Marine Admiral, after all! Why on earth did they have to fight someone as overwhelmingly strong as a monster?!

"Tch! There's no helping you idiots... If we're going to die, we die together!"

Left with no choice, Bonney had to accept Kidd and Luffy's decision. She gathered the members of the Bonney Pirates and ordered them to scatter across the island in search of those powerful pirates.

If they didn't want to get picked off one by one by the Marines after being left isolated, they better hurry over here and team up.

Just figure out which was easier: trying to escape alone, or teaming up with five Supernovas to look for an opening to flee later.

The members of the Kidd Pirates were also dispatched by Killer to look for backup. Even finding a few extra cannon fodder would genuinely increase their chances of survival.

"If we're teaming up, count me in, three captains."

Trafalgar Law leaped down from the rooftop beside the street, though before anyone could even catch the sight of him landing, he had already materialized right on the ground.

Given Law's personality, he would normally steer clear of such suicidal behavior. But thinking about the future opportunity to use this temporary pirate alliance as muscle to deal with Doflamingo, taking a bit of a risk right now was well worth it.

"Captain Trafalgar Law of the Heart Pirates, nicknamed the Surgeon of Death, with a bounty of 200 million Berries!"

Before Kidd could even ask, Killer, standing right behind him, proactively called out Law's identity.

Of course, the most crucial factor was Law's bounty. While having a high bounty didn't necessarily mean someone was overwhelmingly powerful, a bounty of 200 million Berries meant he couldn't possibly be weak no matter what.

"Then count you in! Just need one or two more heavy hitters and we're good!"

Kidd spoke with eagerness, having already encountered a Vice Admiral from Marine Headquarters prior to this, and honestly found the experience quite underwhelming.

Had Killer not advised him not to be too flashy, Kidd's record would likely have included another victory.

If that Headquarters Vice Admiral's strength served as the baseline, a Marine Admiral couldn't possibly be overwhelmingly stronger than that!

Pirates were inherently a rebellious bunch to the core. As super rookies among pirates, the Supernovas would certainly never dare to face a Marine Admiral one-on-one.

Yet with someone taking the lead, and under the premise that nearly half of the Supernovas had already gathered, the rest didn't mind finding out firsthand just how strong a Marine Admiral truly was.

Scratchmen Apoo, captain of the On Air Pirates, nicknamed "Roar of the Sea," bounty of 198 million Berries!

Basil Hawkins, captain of the Hawkins Pirates, bounty of 249 million Berries!

X. Drake, captain of the Drake Pirates, nicknamed "Red Flag," bounty of 222 million Berries!

Capone Bege, captain of the Fire Tank Pirates, nicknamed "Gang," bounty of 138 million Berries!

Urouge, captain of the Fallen Monk Pirates, nicknamed "Mad Monk," bounty of 108 million Berries!

The initial arrivals might have been driven by the pressure of the Marine Admiral, but as more than half of the Supernovas gathered here, even those who initially wanted to flee alone had no choice but to bite the bullet and rush over.

Pirates were the group of people who cared the least about their dignity, yet paradoxically cared the most about it.

They could break promises without a second thought and stab their allies in the back, but they would absolutely never allow themselves to be branded as cowards too afraid to fight a formidable foe.

And as the Supernovas and a handful of daring pirates gathered on the Sabaody Archipelago arrived one after another, even the nervous Killer gained a bit more confidence.

"With so many formidable powerhouses around, even a Marine Admiral is bound to have a headache for a while..."

Killer's emotions were also stirring with excitement. If they could actually repel a Marine Admiral right here in the first half of the Grand Line, it would undoubtedly be a monumental boon for the Kidd Pirates as they prepared to enter the New World!