A whole day passed in the blink of an eye.
The sea around the Magiatsuka Kingdom was now wrapped in pure white flame-like clouds. The whole island looked like it was floating in an endless ocean of clouds, like some kind of hidden paradise far from the real world.
At the same time, a massive Buster Call force made up of fifteen Marine warships was slowly closing in on the kingdom, like a group of giant beasts baring their teeth and claws.
"Vice Admiral Onigumo, we've reached the waters around the Magiatsuka Kingdom.
But something strange is happening—this whole area is covered in thick clouds. The entire coastline is buried under them," one Marine captain said seriously as he reported to Vice Admiral Onigumo from one of the ships.
At the same time, similar reports were coming from the other ships as well.
In that moment, all the commanding officers exchanged looks. They didn't say anything, but everyone could feel it—something was wrong.
It felt like a dark cloud was pressing down on them.
"Keep moving forward. Get closer and find out what's going on," Onigumo said in a low, firm voice, like a heavy bell echoing across the sea.
"Yes, sir!"
"Vice Admiral Onigumo!"
The fifteen warships sped up like arrows flying through the sea, cutting through the waves and heading straight for the kingdom's waters.
But the closer they got, the stranger things felt.
"What's going on here?"
"Where did these clouds come from? They've completely swallowed the whole island..." Onigumo stared at the thick white clouds, his face full of surprise.
"If I had to guess, this is probably the work of the Dream Exploration Group," Vice Admiral Momonga said calmly. "And the reason is simple—they want to stop us from getting close."
"Then let's just blow these clouds away with our cannons!" barked Doberman, known as the Mad Dog. Vice Admiral Doberman was one of Admiral Akainu's most loyal supporters.
The other nine Marine Vice Admirals looked at one another, and after silently confirming their thoughts, nodded in agreement with Doberman's plan.
"All ships, spread out! Aim at the cloud-covered area and fire!" Doberman shouted.
"Yes, sir!"
"Vice Admiral Doberman!"
On all fifteen ships, the soldiers answered at once.
They moved quickly, like well-trained troops, ready for action.
Their smooth, synchronized movements showed off the strength and discipline of the Marines.
With a series of deep booms, all fifteen ships opened fire at once. The shells, burning with heat, flew through the sky toward the white clouds.
The explosions lit up the entire sea, like a bright firework show. The air filled with the sharp smell of gunpowder—it was the smell of war, and it showed the Marines' unshakable will.
But...
The clouds didn't seem to be affected much. They stayed in place, blocking the sky like they were mocking the Marines.
Worse yet, the shockwaves from the blasts only made the clouds roll and churn like an angry beast, and the cloud cover grew even bigger.
"Damn it!" Doberman's roar hit like a storm.
"Keep firing! Don't stop until those clouds are gone!"
As his order rang out, the warships increased their attack speed. The powerful shells shot out like meteors, blasting again and again in the clouds.
Each explosion sent huge shockwaves, making the clouds rage and tumble wildly.
Back in the Magiatsuka Kingdom...
The port city had already been evacuated. The only people left were the members of the Dream Exploration Group, the Revolutionary Army, and the kingdom's troops led by Witt.
Everyone looked grim as the sound of explosions echoed from the sea of clouds.
Just the deafening noise alone was enough to make people imagine how terrifying the attack must be. Compared to this, regular cannon fire was like child's play.
"Good thing the civilians have all been evacuated, and we still have these flame clouds acting as a shield. Otherwise, just the first round of shelling from those warships would've turned this bustling port town into ashes in seconds," Sabo said, staring at the churning sea of clouds. His voice was low and heavy, like distant thunder.
"It really is powerful. No wonder they call it a Buster Call," Nojiko said, her face as heavy as lead.
"The World Government actually dares to call this kind of attack a Buster Call. And the so-called 'evil' they're attacking turns out to be unarmed civilians? What a sick joke!" Anya said angrily as the cannon fire roared nonstop in the background.
"Gahahaha~"
"You're completely wrong. The 'evil' in this Buster Call isn't the civilians — it's the new ideas that could shake the very foundation of the World Government's rule!" Morgans laughed wildly.
At this moment, he and his team of reporters were writing like mad, racing against time to document this Buster Call event.
And—
The news that the Kingdom of Magiatsuka had been hit by a Buster Call had already been published by the World Economy News earlier that morning and spread across the globe.
Now, every major power on the sea was watching this incident closely.
"New ideas that could shake the World Government's rule… yeah, that's the perfect way to put it…" Robin murmured.
Morgans' words reminded her of Ohara.
Back then, Ohara was destroyed by a Buster Call because Professor Clover and the others tried to uncover the truth behind the Void Century.
And that was something the World Government could never tolerate.
"Tell Ryuen. It's time. He can take action now," Nojiko said, turning to Nami.
"Okay, I'll call him now." Nami quickly pulled out a Den Den Mushi and started dialing.
.....
Somewhere on the Red Line—
Ryuen was eating a huge roasted Sea King. There might be a fierce fight coming up, so he wanted to eat his fill first.
"Pururururu~~~"
"So the Buster Call has finally started, huh? Took long enough," Ryuen said as he picked up the call.
"Ryuen, the shelling has started. You can move in now. And be careful — Lindgas said the Five Elders are seriously strong," Nami's voice came through right after he picked up.
"Don't worry. I'm not planning to fight them head-on this time — unless they want to see all of Mary Geoise destroyed," Ryuen replied.
"Either way, just be careful. Don't fight them directly for now!" Nami reminded him again.
"Alright~"
"I'll be careful," Ryuen said quietly.
"Okay. If anything happens, let us know right away. Kuina is fast — she can get there quickly. That's it for now. Their fire is spreading out!"
*Click*
Nami finished quickly and hung up the phone.
Ryuen set down the Den Den Mushi and stood up, stretching a little.
"Well then…"
"World Government — now it's your turn to taste what a Buster Call feels like~"
With that, he fully transformed into beast form and flew into the sky. In just a few seconds, a massive fire phoenix appeared high above Mary Geoise!
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