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The immense roar of battle echoed instantly through Marine Headquarters.
In that moment, every Marine turned their head, and their expressions changed drastically.
"Pirates!"
"It's the Golden Lion, Golden Lion Shiki! They're coming from the sky!"
"My god, are those islands? Thirteen islands, all floating in the air!"
"That must be the Flying Pirates! There are so many of them!"
Shock rippled through the ranks. For many Marines, this was their first time witnessing the terrifying sight of the Flying Pirates, and in an instant, they were utterly overwhelmed by their wild, unrestrained aura.
The thirteen floating islands, along with the entire Flying Pirates fleet, quickly arrived over Marine Headquarters. Their otherworldly entrance left the Marines momentarily stunned.
"Weng, weng, weng!"
A violent wind swept through the void as twelve of the thirteen floating islands, all except the one carrying Golden Lion himself, rumbled ominously under his control,
drifting directly above the Headquarters.
In an instant, the massive islands cast dark shadows below, and a deep sense of dread filled the Marines as they looked up.
Seeing this, Fleet Admiral Kong's face changed dramatically.
"Everyone, evacuate!!" His roar broke through their daze, snapping the Marines back to their senses.
"Run!!"
Screams of terror erupted. The once-busy base instantly filled with tension and chaos.
"Screeeeeee!"
Shrill whistles and blaring alarms echoed everywhere as Marines sprinted through the courtyards, their hearts pounding wildly.
"Sengoku! Take immediate action! Recall Kizaru and Sakazuki from Sabaody Archipelago!" Kong barked orders, his gaze locked sternly on Golden Lion, who still stood proudly atop his floating island.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
At last, the twelve floating islands of various sizes began to fall from the sky, their target: the dense cluster of buildings that made up Marine Headquarters.
An overwhelming pressure filled the air. Every Marine beneath those falling masses felt it pressing down on their hearts, and many broke into a panicked run for their lives.
"Hahaha! Marines! How do you like the gift I've brought you?"
Golden Lion's laughter thundered across the base, his mocking tone echoing in every Marine officer's ears and turning their faces grim.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Suddenly, heavy footsteps shook the ground. Five colossal silhouettes emerged, each towering nearly a hundred meters tall, each clad in Marine uniforms, faces solemn, and immense weapons strapped at their sides, blades, axes, and hammers glinting coldly in the light.
Every step they took stirred violent gusts of wind as they advanced beneath the falling islands.
These were none other than the Marine Headquarters' Giant Vice Admirals.
"Hah!"
With a deep shout, the giants swung their weapons upward.
"BOOM!"
In the blink of an eye, one of the descending islands was cleaved apart, another was smashed aside by sheer brute strength, diverted from its deadly trajectory.
Each strike was like a cannon blast. The immense power of the giants was terrifying;
within moments, the Vice Admirals had destroyed seven of the floating islands in rapid succession.
"Impact Wave!"
At the same time, Sengoku's expression hardened. Leaping into the air, his body expanded, transforming into a colossal, golden Buddha that radiated divine power.
With one mighty punch, he released a blinding shockwave.
"BOOM!"
Another island exploded apart, its fall halted midair, before being hurled off to the side by the force.
Meanwhile, every Vice Admiral stationed at Marine Headquarters had also joined the battle. The falling islands looked terrifying, but these were no ordinary Marines, they were commanders wielding abilities capable of destroying mountains.
Though the sight of the islands was apocalyptic, the officers knew: these weren't natural landmasses, but fragments moved by Golden Lion's ability.
Their size and weight were far less than true islands, and the Marines' combined power was enough to counter them.
In the span of moments, most of the falling islands above Marine Headquarters were shattered midair. Only three remained, crashing down with thunderous booms,
sending rings of impact waves rippling across the base.
"Where is Garp?"
Seated high on the command platform, Kong asked again in a deep, heavy voice.
Below him, Sengoku had already returned to his seat. His expression was solemn, and he remained silent.
"Boom… boom… boom!"
The aftershocks from the twelve falling islands had yet to fade. Massive chunks of rock and clouds of dust filled the air, leaving Marine Headquarters in utter chaos and ruin.
"Hahaha! Not bad at all, Marines!"
Standing atop his floating island, Golden Lion Shiki laughed heartily.
"Well done! But that was just the appetizer, Now, it's time for the real battle!"
His smile vanished. With a single, sweeping motion of his hand, his face turned cold and fierce.
Behind him, the Flying Pirates roared in unison, their killing intent surging skyward.
One after another, their ships descended under Shiki's control, landing across the battlefield.
The massive horde of pirates charged forward with wild excitement, shouting as they stormed toward the Marines. In the blink of an eye, both sides clashed head-on, and blood immediately began to stain the ground.
This was no mock battle, it was true war, brutal and merciless.
From the very first moment the fighting began, lives were already being claimed without pause. Marines and pirates alike fell into pools of blood, never to rise again.
And yet, this was only the vanguard. The true elite forces of both sides had not yet joined the fray.
On the Marine side, Sengoku sat just below Fleet Admiral Kong. To his left and right were two vacant seats, both belonging to Kong as well.
Beneath them sat rows of Vice Admirals, most in their fifties or sixties, and below those ranks were the somewhat younger or slightly weaker commanding officers.
At this stage, the Marines entering battle were mostly Rear Admirals and below. The fight had only just begun; the top-tier combatants had not yet taken the field.
On the Golden Lion's side, it was the same. His top cadres still stood silently aboard their ships, gazing coldly down at the battlefield.
King faces king, general faces general, soldier faces soldier. Neither side had yet deployed its highest-level forces; both adhered to this unspoken rule of war.
Meanwhile, hidden among the dense buildings of the Headquarters, a four-man team was frozen in disbelief.
"What do we do now?" Jason broke the silence.
"Find it, fast! Use the chaos as cover!" Rojen barked, sprinting off at once.
"Damn it! That bastard Golden Lion nearly scared me to death!" Crocodile roared furiously.
Barely seconds earlier, he had almost been crushed by debris from one of Shiki's falling islands. Though the Marines had managed to block most of the assault, they'd still suffered heavy casualties.
At this point in the battle, the Marines were clearly at a disadvantage, their losses far greater than the pirates'.
"Looks like the Marines are on the back foot," Trens muttered, eyes flickering. "Their top powerhouses are only Sengoku and Kong."
"Yeah," Jason nodded. "Meanwhile, Golden Lion's got plenty of cadres on his side."
He glanced up toward the floating island, where dozens of powerful figures stood like sentinels.
"Those big-name pirate crew members are terrifying!" Crocodile squinted, watching the raging battlefield below.
Even among the pirates currently engaged in combat, each one carried a bounty between 5 million and 10 million berries, the kind of figures that would make them formidable names across the Four Seas.
In contrast, the ordinary Marines' strength was far inferior.
"Looks like Golden Lion's got the upper hand," Trens concluded grimly.
(End Of This Chapter)