The battle was over.
For the vast majority of the Marines, this battle had been tougher than they had imagined. Even with an Admiral and an Admiral candidate taking the field, they still hadn't managed to completely conquer Sphinx.
For the young Marines, this was an enormous blow.
However.
When the young Marines returned to their warships in a sorry state and saw the crewmen aboard staring blankly into space, completely dispirited, they realized things were far worse than they had imagined.
The current Marine Admiral, Kizaru, had been killed in battle!
"Impossible! How could this happen? He was an Admiral!"
"There must be some mistake, right?"
"What about Vice Admiral Kong? Why isn't he coming out to explain?"
"..."
The Marines who had returned to their warships erupted in an uproar. But among the Marine Vice Admirals who had attacked Sphinx, some were dead and others wounded. Of the ten who had set out, only five had returned. Two had been confirmed captured, while the remaining three were missing—and likely dead.
Even the Marine Vice Admirals had fared this badly.
The ordinary Marines had it even worse.
When had the Marines ever suffered such a defeat?
Honeyz looked around and realized something.
He was actually the Vice Admiral in the best condition?
Even Pike had been badly injured.
As for Vice Admiral Eliot, it seemed the pirates had targeted him because of his earlier order to bombard the island. He hadn't managed to make it back to the warship at all.
So Honeyz had no choice but to steel himself and step forward.
"Everyone, stay calm. Let's wait for Vice Admiral Kong to come out and hear what he has to say. Don't make wild guesses. The White Wolf Pirates are only going to be in worse shape."
"..."