The work of rescuing survivors continued, but aside from Doflamingo, no one else had been pulled out yet.
After all, Doflamingo had never fought Shin from beginning to end. He had merely faced the final attack that sank Marineford.
The other Marines, by comparison, had been struck by that attack while already severely wounded. Naturally, the chances of surviving were exceedingly slim.
Furthermore, Devil Fruit users were basically done for. Seawater itself was the natural bane of Devil Fruit users.
Doflamingo had managed to hold on with a trace of life left, firstly because of his exceptional physical constitution, and secondly because his injuries had been relatively light.
As for the others, even admirals like Akainu and Aokiji were likely doomed.
The World Government's current efforts were merely leaving things to fate. They themselves understood that the chances of recovering the Navy's top combat power were far too slim.
At the same time, thanks to Cipher Pol's intelligence network, news of Kizaru's escape reached the Five Elders.
It enraged them beyond measure, and they immediately prepared to issue a bounty exceeding one billion for the former Marine admiral.
This kind of betrayal was despised not only by pirates; neither the Marines nor the Government could possibly tolerate it.
But considering the current situation, the Five Elders ultimately swallowed their anger and only announced to the public that Kizaru had gone missing.
At the same time, they quietly spread word that they wanted to contact Kizaru, vaguely indicating that if he was willing to return, they could let bygones be bygones. And if the Marines truly had been completely wiped out and a new Navy needed to be established, they might even make him the new Fleet Admiral.
This was also a helpless move on the Five Elders' part. The World