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Fwoooosh…
In a sealed room, a neatly cut and yellowed piece of paper caught fire on its own, burning slowly as sparks crept across its surface.
Suddenly, though no wind had passed through, the Vivre Card flared violently with a shua! and disintegrated into ashes. The fire devoured the remaining half in an instant, leaving behind nothing but a small pile of gray dust.
The expressions of the three people in the room all changed.
"Hmph! I told you we should've brought him back in chains! Letting Ryokugyu deal with Soryu (Azure Dragon) alone, who the hell are you looking down on, Orrick?!"
The largest of the three, Kaido, sat cross-legged in the middle of the room. Even seated, his head nearly touched the ceiling beams. His face was dark with fury as he grunted and cast a hostile glare at Orrick.
Ryokugyu wasn't weak, after all, he was a monster who once forced Kaido himself to sever an arm just to survive. Despite not having a Logia ability, Ryokugyu could turn any island into his home turf.
But compared to Kaido… or the Soryu (Azure Dragon)… the gap was still obvious.
"That's not what Orrick meant, Kaido." Kurozumi Orochi, seated nearby, glanced at the stone-faced Orrick and shook his head.
"It was because we couldn't underestimate Soryu (Azure Dragon) that he chose not to bring him here. Instead, he sent Ryokugyu straight to the END POINT. Think about it, if Soryu (Azure Dragon) went berserk here, could we afford the consequences?"
Wano Country was their main military stronghold and weapons manufacturing base, second only to their own lives in importance. With Soryu (Azure Dragon) wielding the power of the Goro Goro no Mi (Thunder-Thunder Fruit), if he went on a rampage here, the outcome was obvious.
"Which is exactly why I said we should've brought him in!" Kaido argued furiously. "Even if he tried something, with the three of us here, what could he possibly pull off?"
He paused.
"Oh wait, make that four, counting Ryokugyu!"
"Enough!" Orrick's face darkened. He slammed his fist down hard on the table.
"What's the point of saying all this now?"
"You're strong? Then why didn't you capture Soryu (Azure Dragon), huh? Don't forget how you lost that arm of yours!"
"You…!"
Kaido's eyes widened in shock, fury flaring in his pupils as Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) burst out violently, shaking the air.
"What. Did. You. Say?!"
But Orrick ignored the surge of killing intent beside him and continued coldly.
"The war has only just begun, and we've already lost two key pieces, including Ryokugyu. If we're turning on each other already, we might as well just surrender."
It was the truth. Their alliance, these three powerhouses, was the only thing capable of standing against the combined might of the current Marine and World Government. Taking a critical loss this early, only to fall into internal strife… was utterly foolish.
"Hmph!"
It was a matter tied to Kaido's lifelong ambition. He forcefully suppressed his rage and gave a cold snort, falling silent. Orrick took a deep breath, staring down at the ashes left by the Vivre Card, his fist clenching tightly.
"Soryu (Azure Dragon) was always a secondary objective. The real plan was something I only put into motion after finding out that Red the Aloof had regained his youth. Sure, it would've been great if it worked… but failure isn't the end of the world either."
He spoke slowly, voice low and steady.
"Now that we've launched the war on all fronts, from the Four Seas to the Grand Line, our Cyborg Legion has ignited fires everywhere, tying down the majority of Marine forces. With such a godsent opportunity… I know that man won't stay idle."
Hearing this, the other two frowned.
"The Sea King… huh?"
That one was a true double-edged sword.
…
Marine Headquarters – Marineford
BZZZZZTT!!
With a thunderous electric roar that made hearts skip, a blinding ball of energy shot from the top of the fortress, streaking thousands of meters across the sky before crashing down into the heart of the sea.
BOOM, RUMBLE!!
"Ahhh!"
"Help! I don't wanna die!!"
"The ship's going down, abandon ship, now!!"
One cannon shot, just one, and over a hundred pirate ships in the area were torn apart by the resulting waves and explosive air pressure. Those pirates who hadn't already fainted from the shock were drowned by the churning maelstrom.
With just a single shot, nine out of ten pirates were dead.
"Hmph. A bunch of damn fools."
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Akainu pushed open the window and glared coldly at the fierce battle taking place at the Bay Port. Marineford's safety was paramount, just as vital to them as Wano Country was to the Orrick alliance.
This war could basically be described as Marineford vs Wano. One side sought to destroy Mary Geoise and bring down the World Government. The other fought to defend Mary Geoise and preserve the government's rule.
Akainu couldn't understand where these pirates got the courage to directly attack Marineford. If they were even half as smart as Whitebeard during the Summit War, they'd have at least found a way to flank the Marines first.
But just charging straight in?
Did they think the Marines were made of mud?
Having taken the time to rest and prepare, the Navy wasn't going to waste the opportunity. Before the pirates even got within 5,000 meters of the island, the Super Electromagnetic Cannon had already broken their spirit.
Now, as Akainu noticed a few surviving ships still attempting to flee, a chilling smile curved on his lips.
"Trying to run? Too late! Relay my orders, tell Kizaru to finish them off. Everyone else is to return to Headquarters. Don't waste energy chasing the stragglers!"
At the Bay Port, Kizaru leaned lazily against a cannon, casually trimming his nails.
Just then, a panting marine messenger ran over and gave him a sharp salute.
"Admiral Kizaru! The Fleet Admiral orders you to deploy immediately! No pirate is to be allowed to escape!"
Click, snap!
Kizaru clipped his fingernail too deep, breaking it. Hearing the order, he raised his hand to the sunlight and examined it briefly before lowering his head with a long, deep sigh.
"Yeah yeah, I got it..."
Looking out at the pirate ships fleeing in all directions, he pocketed the nail clipper, his shoulders slumping in defeat. A wave of exhaustion radiated from him.
"So tired… Can't anyone come back and help out already?"
They were supposed to be the Three Admirals, and yet ever since Orrick's camp declared war, he'd been the only one holding the line on the Marine side.
Kizaru felt like screaming. Who the hell knew what kind of miserable days he'd been enduring during this time? He deserved a raise, triple pay, at least!
Still, complaints were one thing. Orders had to be followed.
Yawning like a bored old man, Kizaru took a single step forward and mimicked Rowen's signature entrance, vanishing into the sky as golden light.
This wasn't Blink, his speed was simply so fast that not even an afterimage remained in the air.
Boom!
A thousand meters away, a pirate ship in the midst of fleeing suddenly exploded into pieces, engulfed in flames.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Like popcorn bursting, crisp blasts echoed across the sea. Marines aboard retreating battleships turned to look, only to see the entire ocean flooded with golden light. Countless glittering photons washed over the pirate fleet like a tidal wave, not a single pirate survived.
"Long live the Marines!"
"Long live!"
"Long live!!"
Hearing the chorus of roars echoing across Marineford from the bay, Akainu gave a satisfied nod, then turned around.
"Have we identified them yet?"
Tsuru, the strategist, nodded. "Yes. They're not part of Orrick's main force, just a group of pirates who'd been hiding out in the first half of the Grand Line. Looks like they saw the chaos as a chance to go wild."
"Hmph. Then they picked the wrong target."
Akainu sneered coldly. "Thinking they could mess with Marine Headquarters? Ridiculous."
He took a deep breath.
"Are we keeping up with supply demands? If not, contact Fujitora immediately. He can access Rowen's funds. For now... No, I don't think that'll be a problem," Tsuru replied after a moment's hesitation. "Don't forget, we still have government support, Akainu."
She sighed, unable to hide her bitter smile.
Ever since Rowen took over the Gold Emperor's vast fortune, Akainu had increasingly relied on his funding. It made sense, Rowen was, after all, officially the wealthiest man in the world. And using a comrade's money didn't come with strings attached.
But ethically? It was a bit... questionable.
Back when Sengoku was Fleet Admiral, just this kind of thing would've brought CP0 sniffing around to investigate.
But the reality was unavoidable. Compared to Rowen, who had established global trade routes after assuming control, the government's own supply lines were simply insufficient.
Headquarters and nearby branches were manageable, but the more remote the base, the harder it was to get materials delivered, even with Sea Train cargo routes; it wasn't enough.
They had no choice but to depend on Rowen.
In just the past half-month since the war broke out, Tsuru knew the government had already racked up over 10 billion Belly in IOUs to Rowen, for materials delivered to the Four Seas and other remote bases.
And the reason was painfully simple… The scale of the war was just too massive.
Hearing all this, Akainu stood in heavy silence, deep in thought. Tsuru didn't say anything more. She gave a small nod and turned to leave.
BuruBuruBuru... BuruBuruBuru...
Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi rang.
Since the war began, Akainu had only slept a total of seven hours, never once leaving his office. Often, he had barely closed his eyes before being interrupted by a call. At this point, the sound of the phone barely even registered.
He walked over and picked it up with a deadpan expression.
"This is Akainu. Make it quick."
But as he listened, his face froze. A strange, indescribable look crept across his features.
Noticing the change, Tsuru, who had just opened the office door, turned her head in curiosity, wondering what had happened.
And then, the next moment,
BOOM!!
A heavy burst of magma exploded inside the office, setting the wooden desk ablaze. Akainu's face turned black with fury as he roared:
"I'm giving you three days! If you don't get your ass back here in that time, I'll kill you myself!!"
'Back?!'
'Who was still out there?'
Tsuru frowned, then her pupils shrank.
'Don't tell me...!!'
(End of Chapter)