Between the Land of Swamps and the Land of Demons lay a desolate stretch of land that belonged to no country.
At this moment, large numbers of black-painted armored vehicles were steadily rolling into this usually uninhabited place.
At the same time, heavy howitzers with long, straight barrels had been placed at the front, each spaced twenty meters apart.
Their massive, dark muzzles were all aimed toward the Land of Swamps.
The three division commanders under Sakazuki—Vice Admiral Onigumo, Vice Admiral Doberman, and Vice Admiral Fabien—were gathered inside a military tent serving as the command room. The atmosphere was extremely oppressive and heavy.
Standing behind Onigumo, Nahashu watched the grim faces of the Vice Admirals in silence.
The adjutants exchanged glances, all shaking their heads helplessly.
This was what had happened.
When Admiral Akainu had assigned combat duties earlier, he ordered Vice Admiral Charlotte Oven's 3rd Division and Vice Admiral Dalmatian's 5th Division to head to the front lines and engage the demon army.
Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Doberman's 2nd Division and Vice Admiral Fabien's 4th Division were tasked with setting up artillery positions to provide fire support for the front.
Vice Admiral Onigumo's 1st Division, serving as the reserve force, could only deploy when the situation at the front required it.
The key was Akainu's reasoning: although Armament Haki had been confirmed to harm demons, those with Devil Fruit powers held a greater advantage.
As it happened, Vice Admiral Charlotte Oven was the user of the Paramecia-type Heat-Heat Fruit, while Vice Admiral Dalmatian was the user of the Zoan-type Dog-Dog Fruit.
And that was not all.
Admiral Akainu had also ordered the Devil Fruit Users from each division to be temporarily placed under the command of the 3rd Division and the 5th Division.
That was why the three Vice Admirals,