"Who ordered the bombardment?!"
When Aokiji noticed the warship's movement, flames were already flickering among the fleet. In the rainy night, only the ships' lights still offered a few points of visibility.
For once, his usually calm gaze showed a trace of panic.
"We all underestimated the situation!"
Staff Officer Tsuru was also aboard the flagship. After Sengoku retired, she had become the Navy's strategist.
The Navy's attention had been fixed on Joker, the auction, and the Celestial Dragons. They'd cared about appearances.
And overlooked what was happening right in front of them.
Without anyone noticing, the Navy and the pirates had gathered in force in these waters. Two naturally opposed factions... had converged in this narrow stretch of sea.
Expecting both sides to stay calm and restrained was obviously unrealistic.
But once a clash broke out...
A sharp glint entered Tsuru's eyes. If a conflict really did erupt, the Navy had to strike first.
"Proceed with the plan. I'll handle this." Aokiji had made his decision faster than most of the Navy had even received the news.
Before the warship near the explosion had a chance to descend into chaos, Aokiji was already at the spot where the flames had burst into the night.
"Ice Time."
The bone-chilling cold instantly overwhelmed the spouting flames, freezing even the churning sea into solid ice.
The officers aboard the nearby warships, whose eyes had been filled with panic and tension, immediately calmed down.
They'd nearly thought the pirates had launched an attack and were about to return fire.
After all, the situation on a battlefield changed in an instant. If they didn't respond quickly, they could be at the bottom of the sea the very next moment.
"Fleet Admiral!"
"What caused the explosion?"
"Uh... we don't know either. We didn't see any