After the armies from the member nations arrived at Mary Geoise, they were immediately incorporated into the Holy Land's Defense Corps. Under Fleet Admiral Kong's direct orders, they were sent straight to the construction sites without even a moment of rest—let alone time to rearm themselves.
The entire Red Port had turned into a massive construction zone because of Kong's commands. Countless fortress turrets and artillery batteries densely covered every corner of the harbor. Anyone who laid eyes on the sight couldn't help but feel their scalp tingle.
However, not everyone agreed with this approach. Many believed the Red Port already had more than enough defensive structures. Considering that Mary Geoise sat ten thousand meters atop the Red Line—a natural fortress that was nearly impossible to reach—there seemed to be no need to fortify it to such an absurd degree.
Instead of blindly reinforcing the defenses of Red Port, they argued, the World Government should prioritize drilling its troops—at the very least ensuring that the hodgepodge of reinforcements from each member nation could be somewhat useful when the time came.
But the Five Elders, who had little to no understanding of military affairs, felt much more reassured by the sight of tangible, ever-growing fortifications than by the unseen value of troop training.
And when they summoned Fleet Admiral Kong for questioning, he easily persuaded them otherwise.
After all, no matter how hard you train cannon fodder, they won't turn into elite soldiers overnight. Rather than relying on them, it would be better to count on the pirates losing their nerve once they witnessed the impregnable walls of Mary Geoise.
To be fair, Kong's reasoning was very convincing—especially after CP agents personally confirmed the pitiful combat quality of the allied nations' troops. At that point, no one could hold out any real hope for those laborers masquerading as soldiers.
---
"Damn… isn't this overkill? So many cannons and fortresses?"
Vice Admiral Doberman couldn't help but exclaim as he stepped onto the Red Port.
Beside him, Vice Admiral Onigumo stood speechless, his jaw slack.
It wasn't that either of them hadn't seen large-scale defenses before—but the sheer density of the fortifications spread across the Red Port was staggering. Even for veteran Vice Admirals, the sight was enough to leave them dumbfounded.
It helped that the governments of the member nations had given their full cooperation, sending wave after wave of laborers to work, while the World Government spared no expense. Only through such vast manpower and funding could so many fortresses and turrets be built atop the port's original defenses.
---
"Hmph. At least not everyone's dead weight…"
Sakazuki's stern face relaxed slightly as he gazed at the endless line of fortresses stretching toward the horizon.
Though pulling off a miraculous stand in a desperate situation would've better highlighted his own achievements, even Sakazuki knew he couldn't stop the most powerful pirate crew in history with a bunch of useless weaklings.
At the very least, the current state of Mary Geoise showed that the Holy Land was taking the coming war seriously—and preparing accordingly.
"Speaking of which," Onigumo said, glancing at the laborers hauling bricks and stones, "where the hell did Mary Geoise get so many construction workers?"
If the World Government had more time, no one would doubt its ability to gather hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of laborers from across the globe.
But it had been less than a month since they'd learned of the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates' impending invasion.
In such a short time, Onigumo couldn't fathom how the government managed to mobilize this many people.
Even at a glance, he could see thousands of workers toiling away—and construction sites like this were scattered all over Red Port. Even a conservative estimate put the total at tens of thousands.
"Who knows," Doberman muttered, finally managing to light his damp cigar and biting down on it. "I just hope the troops they've gathered are as numerous as the laborers…"
He hadn't even finished speaking before a dark realization simultaneously crept into the minds of Sakazuki and the two Vice Admirals.
"Admiral Akainu! Fleet Admiral Kong requests your presence—along with Vice Admirals Doberman and Onigumo—at the Holy Land Defense Corps' command headquarters!"
A messenger came running up, saluting smartly before shouting the message.
Under normal circumstances, someone of Sakazuki's status would be greeted with full ceremony upon arrival at Mary Geoise.
But with the Holy Land now under wartime conditions, everything was done with strict efficiency. Even an admiral had no choice but to personally report to headquarters.
"Wait!" Sakazuki barked, his eyes narrowing.
"Soldier, tell me—where did all those workers come from? And why weren't they conscripted into the army instead?"
Sakazuki stopped the messenger and pointed toward the laborers working at the harbor.
Even with just a quick glance, Sakazuki could tell that the workers out there were all excellent potential soldiers.
Most of them had strong, well-built bodies, and they followed orders well enough that there was rarely any confusion while they worked.
Their level wasn't quite up to par with the Marines stationed at headquarters, but they weren't much worse than the average branch Marines either.
Although the Holy Land Defense War hadn't officially begun yet, Sakazuki was practically a one-man army aside from the limited manpower from G1 Branch.
Even setting aside his future plans to rebuild the Navy, the upcoming battle for the Holy Land alone made it clear to him that he needed to expand his forces—fast.
"Report, Admiral Akainu! They're reinforcements sent by the allied nations. Fleet Admiral Kong ordered them to build the defensive fortifications. Once the fighting begins, they'll be assigned to the Holy Land Guard Corps!"
The messenger replied truthfully. As an ordinary Marine, he saw nothing wrong with Fleet Admiral Kong's decision. After all, someone had to handle the hard labor of building fortresses and artillery emplacements.
If the allied soldiers didn't do it, the Marines themselves would have to take on the job.
That was exactly why, even when Kong's leadership seemed reckless, many still supported him—because someone had to shoulder the burden.
And in truth, it was mostly Kong's decades of earned prestige that silenced all opposition. No one believed the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces could ever be disloyal.
Even when the Five Elders received intelligence vaguely implicating Kong, they dismissed it outright.
The Steelbone family had served the World Government for over three centuries, producing dozens of army generals and commanders-in-chief.
By the time it reached Steelbone Kong's generation, he had even been appointed both Fleet Admiral of the Navy and Supreme Commander of all three military branches. How could such a loyal old soldier ever be a traitor?
The CP agents who submitted that intelligence must have thought the same—it was too absurd to be true. They passed the report up the chain of command as a formality, then dropped the matter entirely.
"Ridiculous! Lead the way! I'm going to see Fleet Admiral Kong!"
Sakazuki frowned, his voice thick with displeasure. At a time like this, every additional soldier meant one more chance to win the war that was about to erupt.
No matter how strong the fortifications were, in the end, someone still had to be there to defend them.
"Calm yourself, Sakazuki!"
Doberman and Ghost Spider hurried after him. They were risking being labeled Navy rebels by disobeying HQ orders to follow Sakazuki.
If they fell out with Admiral Kong again, the two Rear Admirals at HQ wouldn't know what to do.
But Sakazuki had no intention of listening to counsel; he strode, all momentum, straight into the command headquarters of the Holy Land Guard Corps with the two Rear Admirals at his side.
What surprised Sakazuki was that inside the command center he found not only Admiral Kong waiting, but also a large group of nobles from the allied nations split into two opposing factions.
Among those nobles, the group near Admiral Kong looked younger and clearly pampered—their clothing far more ornate than the batch closer to the gates.
"You finally arrived, Sakazuki."
Admiral Kong, on seeing Sakazuki, barely furrowed his brow and then greeted him with the composed bearing befitting his station.
"Long time no see. The Marshal still looks the part."
Sakazuki, who was usually domineering, involuntarily softened his tone before his former superior and saluted.
Doberman and Onigumo, walking behind Sakazuki, also bowed respectfully. Although Admiral Kong's stepping down years ago had been somewhat dishonorable, as his former subordinates they couldn't deny his achievements or capability.
"He's gotten old—otherwise he wouldn't let a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears brats mouth off at me!"
Admiral Kong snorted, and an invisible pressure rolled out like ripples in water. In an instant, many of the haughty allied nobles who had been posturing collapsed as if struck.
Those pampered nobles were almost entirely cowed, while among the nobles blocking the command center's entrance some managed to stand firm against Kong's pressure.
°°°
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