The explosion was terrifyingly powerful.
Soon after the Dyna Stone detonated, its deafening roar reached the northern stretch of the Red Line near Mary Geoise.
The Army soldiers guarding the edge of the Red Line stared in shock at the painfully bright flash.
A mushroom cloud twisted and billowed above it.
"What... what is that?"
An Army soldier swallowed hard, his body trembling as he spoke.
The island housing the secret base lay just over a hundred kilometers from the Red Line.
From ten thousand meters up on the Red Line, it was clearly visible.
"Never mind that. Report it to the officers, quick. Whatever happens next has nothing to do with us."
Beside him, a seasoned soldier produced a camera from somewhere and photographed the scene as evidence.
The Red Line encircled the entire world.
It was vast beyond measure.
This was only its fringe, already some distance from the lands the World Government ruled atop the Red Line.
But they were not the only Army soldiers who saw it. The government soon received word.
Once it confirmed the island's exact location, it went on high alert and immediately dispatched the Navy there.
"This really is a disaster."
Standing aboard a warship, Staff Officer Tsuru looked at the island, now utterly destroyed by the explosion. Seawater poured into the deep crater at its center, drawing a sigh from her.
Her brows were tightly furrowed.
A Visual Den Den Mushi beside her transmitted the scene directly to Marine Headquarters.
A few fragments of warships still drifted across the sea.
The Thief of the Century case remained unsolved.
Though Tsuru was not one of its principal investigators, the current Navy Chief of Staff saw her as a successor and had brought her into the case to hone her abilities.
They had