The square in the center of Rock Island has been transformed into a temporary "Execution Ground" and "trading area".
The ground is paved with extremely hard Alloy boards. Under the sunlight at noon, it reflects dazzling light, making it almost impossible to look directly.
The air was filled with the pungent smell of rust and Gunpowder, as well as a suffocating sense of chill, as if even the sea breeze was frozen by this invisible pressure and did not dare to flow easily.
In the square, the navy elites lined up tightly, like silent statues.
Vice Admirals, like Onigumo, Doberman and others, have stern faces, pressing the handle of the knife, and their eyes reveal perseverance and vigilance.
Rear Admiral and Commodore led their respective troops to form neat square formations. They were all silent, like a well-trained steel division.
The soldiers held the weapons in their hands tightly, and sweat continued to fall from their foreheads, but no one dared to reach out to wipe it. Their eyes looked straight ahead firmly, as if any slight movement would break the tense atmosphere.
The huge Navy Flag buzzed at the highest point, as if cheering for this chilling scene.
Akainu stood at the front, with his arms folded across his chest, Magma flowing faintly between his fingers, like a volcano about to erupt, exuding a chilling aura.
His eyes were as sharp as a falcon, scanning the empty sea all the time. His face was filled with determination that "sin must be completely Purification", or in other words, it was more of a dangerous aura that was flammable and explosive.
The Alloy ground under his feet was slightly red and softened by the heat emitted unconsciously, as if to tell the anger and anxiety in this Admiral's heart.
Kizaru stood a little behind, leaning back slightly and leaning leisurely on the cold barrel.
He took out a set of delicate small files and trimmed his shining golden nails very slowly and without anyone else watching.
The sun shone on him, reflecting the dazzling light, and from time to time he would make unclear "oh~yo~" sounds from his mouth, as if the tense and tense atmosphere in front of him had nothing to do with him, and he was just admiring a scenery that had nothing to do with him.
The solemn atmosphere around him was in perfect contrast with his leisurely posture.
Fujitora closed his eyes, leaning on his Staff Sword, and stood quietly beside Akainu for a while.
He seemed to be really concentrating with his eyes closed, but his whole body exuded an aura as calm as a mountain.
The tip of Staff Sword touched the ground slightly, and the invisible gravity field seemed to spread quietly around him. With this unique ability, he could sense every movement within a radius of several miles, including every move of the CP0 members hidden in the dark.
The behavior of Ryokugyu, the newcomer Admiral, is the most "otherworldly".
He squatted in an inconspicuous corner on the edge of the square, where a few clusters of weeds stubbornly grew out of the Alloy cracks.
Ryokugyu pulled one out with great interest, put it under his nose and smelled it, then... stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it with relish!
While chewing, he muttered vaguely, "Hmm... grass full of anxiety and the taste of steel, has an average taste, but is rich in nutrients..."
Then he reached out and pulled out another one.
When the nearby sailors saw this scene, their eyes couldn't help but twitch. Although they were dissatisfied, they dared not speak out in anger.
On Execution Platform and Command Platform, Fleet Admiral Sengoku is wearing "Justice" Cloak, and his face is as solemn as Granite. He pressed his hands tightly on the railing, and his knuckles were slightly white from the exertion, showing his inner tension and depression.
His falcon-like eyes scanned the sea, his own camp and the figure that was firmly locked in the center of Execution Platform - Pluto Rayleigh.
Garp stood beside him, folding his arms. Although he also had a serious face, his eyes glanced in the direction of Ryokugyu from time to time, as if he was debating whether to try the "Anxiety Grass" too, which added a different kind of humor to the tense atmosphere.
Time passed by, and the agreed trading time was getting closer and closer, but the sea was still eerily calm, without a trace of waves, and the expected ship Allen did not appear.
Sengoku's brows were furrowed into the character "Chuan", and the uneasiness in his heart became stronger, as if there was an invisible hand tugging at his heart.
He turned his head sharply, and in a low voice with unquestionable dignity, he asked the adjutant standing behind him, "Where is Kuzan? Why hasn't she arrived yet?! And Gion! Why is her seat vacant too?!"
The adjutant was frightened by the powerful low pressure of Fleet Admiral. His body stood upright involuntarily, and his voice had an imperceptible tremor. He quickly reported, "Report Fleet Admiral! We have tried to contact Aokiji." Admiral More than ten times! Den Den Mushi...Den Den Mushi has been in the 'sleep' state! Maybe... maybe Admiral He is somewhere... asleep again?"
Even he himself found this reason ridiculous, but Aokiji had so many previous records of laziness that people had no choice but to speculate in this regard.
The adjutant wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and continued bravely, "As for Gion Vice Admiral... her Den Den Mushi cannot be connected, the signal... has completely disappeared!"
"What--what--?!"
Sengoku I feel a rush of hot blood rushing to the top of my head, and my temples are pounding. If I had a blood pressure monitor at this time, it would definitely explode.
He resisted the urge to roar in his heart and squeezed his voice out from between his teeth, with incredible anger and a trace of imperceptible panic. "At the critical moment... the chain dropped?! Both of them were missing?! Kuzan Forget about that lazy bastard! Gion She has always been stable! What the hell is going on?!"
The cloak behind him moved automatically without wind and made a hunting sound, showing the anger and uneasiness in the owner's heart like a stormy wave at this moment.
Sengoku took a deep breath, tried hard to suppress the anger in his heart, and turned his gaze to Chief Officer Tsuru, who had been quietly drinking tea next to him.
At this time, Sengoku tried to slow down his tone, but the anxiety still overflowed from his words like a tide. "Tsuru, Gion... she should have been with you last night, right?"
"Did she reveal anything? Or... is there anything unusual?"
He gently put down the tea cup, and the bottom of the cup and the saucer made a crisp clinking sound, which was particularly abrupt in this tense and depressing atmosphere.
She picked up a piece of Senbei and took a bite slowly, as if she was not affected by the tension around her at all. Then she raised her eyes to look at Sengoku, her eyes calm and calm, even with a hint of elders. Tolerance of the junior's nonsense. "Well, we did have dinner together last night. The Gion kid was also discussing with me New World which store's kimono material matches her hair color better. We talked very late."
She paused, picked up a handkerchief and wiped the debris at the corner of her mouth elegantly, and dropped a "bombshell" in an understated tone. "As for the morning... when I woke up, I found that she was missing. The room was very clean, and the belongings were taken away... Young man, he is quick-thinking, maybe... he eloped?"