"How could this happen?"
When the Allied Forces' leaders, who had fled to the ruined G-32 Fortress, learned what had happened at the G-5 Fortress, they could hardly believe it.
Some even felt a chill run down their spines.
The casualties had been devastating.
They had survived, but the Allied Forces had suffered terrible losses. More than half the reinforcements were gone, and five Celestial Dragons had died.
These were no ordinary Celestial Dragons. They were among their elite, and five had been killed in one battle.
Now none of them knew what to do.
"We're leaving. Back to the G-1 Fortress."
What else could they do?
The G-1 Fortress was the Navy's only base in the New World that had escaped invasion and destruction.
The remaining Allied Forces still needed ships to pick them up. The World Government reinforcements' last two warships had also been destroyed in the battle.
After the Rocks Pirates left, they had no way to leave and remained stranded at the G-5 Fortress.
They needed to act fast. What if the Rocks Pirates suddenly came back?
The World Government had lost. Utterly.
Both the Navy and the Army had suffered devastating losses.
They no longer had the strength to hold the New World.
Aside from the G-1 Fortress, most of the Navy's forces had retreated to the first half of the Grand Line.
They needed to keep their heads down. They needed time to recover.
Only after Kong and the others returned to Marine Headquarters did they feel somewhat at ease.
Grief hung in the air. How many had left? How many had come back?
Fleet Admiral Black was dead. Admiral "Evening Elephant" Puyol had fallen. Every Admiral Candidate was gone.
More than half the Vice Admirals and other senior officers had been killed.
The