Attack

Marineford, Fleet Admiral's Office.

"I need an explanation, Koby!"

Sakazuki pressed the newspaper down on the table and looked at the pink-haired marine with bandages wrapped around his body in front of him.

The former emanated a scorching heat, his gloves turned red, and the temperature in the entire room suddenly rose.

Garp only learned about Fleet Admiral and his party's trip to Hachinosu afterward.

Moreover, he was furious that the two naval "heroes," who had been so widely publicized, were completely defeated and that the news was reported in a mocking tone in the newspapers.

Although the result wasn't bad for him in some ways, it was still very embarrassing.

"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki... we wanted to rescue our comrades, but the enemy was simply too powerful..."

Koby gritted his teeth, tears welling up in his eyes.

"SWORD forces can challenge the Sea Emperor without permission, but I'm asking you, who instigated Garp's deployment?"

"Don't tell me that a veteran Headquarters Vice Admiral wouldn't know the current situation."

Sakazuki's scars seemed to melt into lava, and the entire office felt like it was in the middle of a volcano.

"That..."

I'll die... I'll definitely die if I say it out loud!

Koby was soaked to the bone and stammered for a long time before being unable to say anything more.

"Don't get so angry, Sakazuki. Even the air conditioning isn't working anymore. If you want to know, just go ask the Black Winged Great Demon."

Kizaru completely disregarded the atmosphere and continued to tease him relentlessly.

"Brubrubru~ Brubrubru~"

In this tense situation, the Den Den Mushi on the table suddenly rang, relieving Koby of his anxiety.

"This is Marineford. I am Sakazuki."

After waving for the person in front of him to leave, he picked up the Den Den Mushi, which belonged to the World Government.

"Um?"

Hearing the instructions given from the other end, Sakazuki couldn't help but frown.

"What happened now?"

When he put down the Den Den Mushi, Kizaru saw his serious expression and also put away his playful mood.

"The various forces, led by the Revolutionary Army and the forces under Las Noches, are rapidly converging on Mary Geoise."

"The Gorosei have ordered all of the Marineford's elite forces to be deployed, using the lower red soil and ocean of the Red Line as the battlefield, to annihilate the rebel forces in one fell swoop!"

Perhaps due to some excitement, Akainu's tone was somewhat agitated.

"A battle is starting in front of the Holy Land... Has the enemy already formed an encirclement?"

Kizaru scratched his brow, pondered for a moment, and then asked.

He believed that if an encirclement had not yet been formed, the World Government would definitely try to avoid fighting in close proximity.

But if the encirclement has already been formed, it shouldn't be easy for reinforcements to get in.

"How should I put it... the actual controllers of both sides are trying to defeat each other head-on to eliminate future troubles, and they are now tacitly agreeing to join forces."

Sakazuki didn't understand where the two got their confidence from, but he couldn't interfere with them at the moment.

"Oh... that's going to kill a lot of colleagues..."

Kizaru pushed up his dark sunglasses, which reflected the sunlight streaming in.

"To think that justice can be achieved without sacrifice is wishful thinking. In the cruel reality, someone always has to be the first to strike."

Sakazuki was unsure whether he was responding to his friend's lament or comforting his past self who was so weak that he couldn't do anything.

Three days later, on a sunny morning, the weather was clear.

On the Red Line, which stretches across the entire ocean, forming a massive wall that cuts through the sea.

"Akainu, what on earth is going on?! Why would you let those fools drive the great god to this point?!"

By this time, some Celestial Dragons were already finding it unbearable to live that frugal and fearful life.

They ran with their guards to the edge of the Red Line and came to the temporary office of Sakazuki and the other leaders, shouting and yelling.

His ignorant voice even reached the ground below through a loudspeaker, making the soldiers guarding the area feel very uncomfortable.

"Please rest assured, Saint Hama, you only need to enjoy each day as usual. We have already laid a trap and will resolve the situation soon."

Akainu remained silent, but Kong, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces beside him, responded with a broad smile.

On the lower layers of the Red Line and on the warships along the coast, there are a large number of army and navy officers and soldiers, numbering as many as a million.

Some ordinary marines, or even lower-ranking officers, are simply not qualified to appear on this kind of battlefield.

In the sky, a dozen or so airships were conducting a comprehensive survey of the ocean below.

"You've been squatting here for two days now. You'd better hurry up and finish this off by killing all those fools! Otherwise, you'll be in for a world of hurt!"

After venting their anger, the Celestial Dragons, who were about to continue their tirade, caught a glimpse of Sakazuki's gloomy face and could only utter their harsh words before hastily retreating back to Mary Geoise.

"There's no need to worry too much. The Celestial Dragons are the rulers of this world, and that has been unchangeable for hundreds of years. This time will be no exception."

Sora covered the microphone next to him and then looked at Sakazuki. He thought that his junior was nervous because it was his first time facing a war of this scale.

"It would be extremely foolish to keep everyone here. If the enemy simply besieges Mary Geoise without launching an attack, we will exhaust ourselves."

The Army Commander-in-Chief spoke up, wondering who had come up with such a direct and aggressive operational plan.

Resources available to Mary Geoise were already scarce, and the fact that all the main forces were concentrated there meant they were trapped like turtles in a jar.

"There's nothing we can do. The commotion was too obvious, and those people up there are terrified. But there's no need to worry too much. Once a man like that declares war, he'll definitely make a move."

Sakazuki mocked him mercilessly.

"Don't worry, Lord Im is only giving him this one chance. If he doesn't show up today, we won't fight him head-on again."

A man who looked almost exactly like Shanks appeared behind the group at some point, his right hand on the sword at his waist, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

The other side wants to defeat the World Government head-on, and so does Lord Im.

If the other party wants to resort to underhanded tactics, Lord Im will probably not hesitate to unleash a few Uranus attacks.

Just then, the once clear sky seemed to begin to darken.

"They're coming! Lots of them!"

As the important figures spoke, as if to confirm their words, spots began to appear on the distant horizon.

"All troops on high alert! Our enemy is right before our eyes!"

Kong grabbed the microphone from the table and shouted at everyone stationed there.

The black dots on the sea surface grew larger and larger, and warships flying the flags of the Revolutionary Army or Las Noches began to come into view.