What else could they do?
After all, their opponents were one of the four emperors!
The four emperors reign over the New World; even the World Government and the Marines dare not take action against them at will!
In this era, when the King of the Pirates has long passed away, and the new King has not yet been decided, the title of the four emperors represents the top of this era.
So, could the World Government rashly go to war with one of the four emperors over a tool they could dispose of at any time?
In the past, Lucci might have believed that such a thing was possible, but after everything he experienced aboard Gawain's ship, he realized that people like him were nothing in the eyes of the World Government.
Moreover, when Lucci arrived back at Water 7, the enemy had already disappeared.
The vast ocean stretched before him; where could he even search for a pirate ship from the vast world?
The New World?!
Even though Lucci didn't want to admit it, he had no choice but to put aside the matters regarding Kaku and Blueno and focus on the Pluton blueprints.
For a moment, both of them fell silent, gazing at the distant sunset, watching as the last rays of light disappeared.
Bulu! Bulu! Bulu!
The Den Den Mushi in Iceburg's arms suddenly rang.
When the call was connected, the voice from the other end of the receiver caused Iceburg to freeze in shock. His previously hopeless eyes now shone brightly.
"Reinforcements!"
"The Marines's reinforcements are on their way!"
Iceburg, seemingly delirious, rushed into the distant crowd.
With the hopeful eyes of those around him, he sighed in relief and said: "We've received word! In half a month, if we can hold on for just half a month, the Marines fleet will arrive at Water 7!"
"And when that happens, all the pirates will retreat!"
There was a brief silence around them, followed by not the cheers and jubilation one might expect but rising howls of anguish, starting low and growing louder.
"Ugh, ahhh..."
"The World Government and Marines haven't abandoned us!"
"Thank goodness! This is wonderful!"
After a few seconds, the crowd erupted in cheers. Everyone's faces were filled with the joy of surviving a near-death experience, as if prosperity was just within reach again.
Compared to holding on without hope, seeing hope now made the remaining two weeks seem like nothing.
The girl who had been tightly clutching her unfinished bread now had her eyes sparkling, reflecting the sunset's glow.
Lucci stood aside, watching the scene, but he felt an uneasy tension growing inside him.
His CP organization had carried out similar missions for over a decade, and situations like in Water 7 had occurred a few times before.
But never had the World Government stepped in to offer help like this.
"I hope I'm just overthinking it."
... ... ...
As night deepened near the shipyard, a piercing sound split the air, and the sounds of cannon fire exploded around the refugee camp, creating a series of bursts of light.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Red flowers bloomed in the night sky.
"Super!"
Franky, who was on the night watch, let out a loud cry before organizing his crew to battle the attacking pirates.
In the basement, Lucci slowly opened his eyes. Before he could make a move, the Den Den Mushi beside him rang urgently.
He answered the call, and Spandam's voice came through in a rush.
"Lucci!"
"The mission at Water 7 has to be sped up."
"The Buster Call has been activated. The fleet led by Admiral Akainu will arrive in half a month and will wipe out Water 7 completely."
"You must complete your mission before then, or I won't be able to protect you!"
Lucci's pupils contracted, and he saw in his mind the image of Iceburg celebrating after hearing the news of their rescue, feeling a heavy blockage in his chest.
"I... Understand."
... ... ...
At the same time, at Marine Headquarters.
The senior officers of the Marines were gathered around the conference table.
Aside from Aokiji and Zephyr, who were still on their way, the officers above the rank of Rear-Admiral were all present.
An invisible pressure settled on everyone's shoulders, yet no one dared to speak.
Until...
"Is the trash in Mary Geoise really so stupid!?"
Garp slammed his fist on the table, the fire in his eyes nearly becoming tangible as the news he had just received was simply too absurd.
"To use a Buster Call on Water 7? How many innocent lives are they going to sacrifice because of their recklessness?"
"Are they really that afraid of mere rumors of blueprint?"
The room fell silent at his words, but many others, like Garp, had angry expressions on their faces.
This kind of near-genocidal action went completely against the justice that the Marines had always stood for.
"It's probably not as simple as that."
Sengoku said, rubbing his brow. Unusually, he didn't try to correct Garp's attitude. He took a deep breath and continued: "The goal of those people isn't the Pluton blueprint, but to end this potential war as quickly as possible."
"What do you mean?"
Garp sat back down, folding his arms with a cold tone.
Sengoku glanced at him before continuing: "It means that even if the pirates get their hands on the Pluton blueprint, with the current technology, it's impossible to construct the Pluton."
"Whether it's the materials needed to build it or the energy to power it, these are problems that cannot be solved with the technology of this age."
"But if a war breaks out over the Pluton blueprint, leading to the collapse of the current world order and sparking a new round of power struggles, that is what will truly threaten the World Government."
"And to end this war as quickly as possible, there's no better option than launching a Buster Call to destroy Water 7."
"Sengoku!"
Garp suddenly stood up, glaring at Sengoku as if he were seeing the man for the first time: "Do you even hear what you're saying?!"
"The Water 7 has a permanent population of over three hundred thousand. They have families, children!"
"These are lives!"
"I know they are lives... but I can't stop this."
Sengoku lowered his gaze, pressing his hand onto the meeting table, his palm nearly sinking into the surface and his face turning red like a pig's liver.
He didn't consider himself a cold-blooded animal, and he certainly couldn't just ignore the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people in Water 7 and directly issue the Buster Call.
The current situation was already beyond his control.
"These are the orders from those five. They bypassed me and directly issued orders to Sakazuki. Do you understand what this means?!"
"Before, Zephyr caused such a ruckus that the higher-ups began to doubt the Marines. If we continue like this, we'll become nothing more than a decoration."
"If they fully take control of the Marines, do you know the consequences?!"
Garp fell silent for a moment, then slowly sat down; his explosive emotions from earlier were gone.
Sengoku, seeing this, decided to bypass the earlier topic and continued with his deployment plan: "Our task is to keep those restless monsters in the New World at bay until the Buster Call is completed."
"In the New World, Whitebeard and Reh Hair are currently calm. I've already sent Borsalino ahead to deal with Kaido."
"With his strength, defeating Kaido head-on is difficult, but keeping him occupied for a while is no problem."
"The real headache now is the situation in Totto Land. We have no information on what's happening there..."