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Marine Headquarters
"What?!"
Akainu, holding a Den Den Mushi, roared in furious exasperation, "Admiral Fujitora fought with the Holy Knights?!"
"Yes!"
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Maynard spoke nervously.
"Not only that, Admiral Fujitora voluntarily resigned from his Admiral position and asked me to return the Cloak of Justice to you."
Akainu crushed his cigar.
He could somewhat guess the reasons for Admiral Fujitora's resignation and his attack on the Holy Knights, but Admiral Fujitora's fierce resolve exceeded his expectations.
He also had no fondness for the Celestial Dragons.
But he was a Marine, not a politician.
The Celestial Dragons created the World Government, and their rule was legitimate and represented order.
Akainu went to the balcony alone.
An Admiral's resignation and an attack on the Celestial Dragons—such a serious incident would inevitably cause internal turmoil.
Furthermore, this incident involved an Admiral and the Holy Knights; Kizaru and Aramaki probably couldn't resolve it.
He, as the Fleet Admiral, had to go there personally.
"Prepare to set sail!"
"Yes!"
Lulusia Kingdom
Sky-obscuring rubble rained down on the Holy Knights below, the Admiral's furious attack no less destructive than a natural disaster.
"That blind man dared to attack us!"
An arrow appeared above Gunko's head, and the falling boulders automatically avoided her body by following the arrow's direction.
But there were too many falling objects.
Even if they couldn't hurt her, they were enough to bury her under the ruins.
The others faced similar situations.
Endless rubble, gathered like a huge mountain, pressed them down.
The area was too vast to evade.
And the rubble, under the influence of gravity, continuously contracted and solidified, becoming denser and denser, making them feel threatened.
If they lost mobility, they wouldn't even be able to escape through a magic circle; they needed sufficient room to maneuver or to break free from the ruins quickly!
"Cerberus!"
At the critical moment, Shamrock summoned his sword.
He had many means of escape, but he didn't need to act personally; his saber could do the job.
"Awooo!!!"
The blade transformed, and Cerberus appeared inside the ruins, its massive body creating ample space for Shamrock and the others.
Shamrock frowned tightly.
"Things are troublesome."
He didn't quite understand why Admiral Fujitora would suddenly switch sides, nor did he care to understand the thoughts of the ants from the lower world.
But an Admiral-level combatant at this moment would cause them great trouble; the worst possibility was Admiral Fujitora allying with the Revolutionary Army.
"Captain, should we ask for more people?"
"No need."
Shamrock shook his head.
With four Holy Knights deployed, and him, the second-in-command, present, reinforcements would make him lose face.
But despite saying that, Admiral Fujitora's sudden disruption of their plan left them without a clue for their next move.
In any case, they needed to get out first.
Outside the Rubble Mountain
Admiral Fujitora slowly lowered his staff-sword.
Betraying the Marines was not his intention, and as a man, he couldn't easily betray his stance, but the Celestial Dragons' acts of slaughter trampled his bottom line, so he showed no mercy when he acted.
Now, there was no turning back.
"Are they here."
Admiral Fujitora slowly looked up, sensing multiple familiar presences appearing behind him—the Revolutionary Army's Army commanders.
Looking at the rubble mountain ahead and Admiral Fujitora standing at its base, Ivankov immediately stopped.
"Just as I expected, hee-haw!"
Other Army commanders arrived one after another.
It was indeed an internal conflict!
Sabo also arrived at the base of the mountain.
"Admiral Fujitora, why did you do this?"
"Naturally, for the sake of the principles in my heart."
Admiral Fujitora replied calmly; he believed that at this moment, he was not qualified to speak of justice, so he could only rephrase it.
"Also, I have already left the Marines, and am no longer your enemy."
The Army commanders exchanged glances.
An Admiral suddenly betraying was no small matter.
Sabo came next to Admiral Fujitora, attempting to win him over: "Issho-san, the Celestial Dragons are also our Revolutionary Army's enemies. In the coming battle, can we form an alliance?"
Admiral Fujitora hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
"Although I have left the Marines and attacked the Holy Knights, I have no intention of joining the Revolutionary Army, nor do I wish to form an alliance."
Thank you, but no.
Even a temporary alliance was out of the question.
He didn't want to get too deeply involved with the Revolutionary Army.
Although he admired the spirit of the Revolutionary Army, they were ultimately a group of wanderers, and associating with them would make it difficult to achieve his ambitions.
Sabo's face darkened.
"Issho-san, attacking the Celestial Dragons is a crime that the World Government will absolutely not tolerate. You have nowhere to go now."
"I do."
Admiral Fujitora smiled: "I intend to join the Hoenn Navy, though I don't know if the Hoenn Navy will accept me."
Sabo's face grew even darker.
At this point, how could he not understand?
Admiral Fujitora looked down on their Revolutionary Army.
Damn it, they had tried so hard too!
Suddenly, everyone's expressions changed.
"Boom!!!"
A passage suddenly exploded open in the rubble mountain.
Shamrock, Killingham, Sommers, and Gunko, the four members of the Holy Knights, emerged from the passage, looking at everyone with disdain.
"Finally, they've appeared!"
The Army commanders' eyes burned fiercely.
Every single one of them had suffered persecution from the World Government, waiting for this day for over a decade!
Although it wasn't a decisive battle, they would make the World Government feel pain!
At the Same Time, Near Sabaody Archipelago
Groudon surfaced, the bubbles encasing the ship shattering. Heading to Lulusia Kingdom via Fish-Man Island would be faster.
"Full speed ahead!"
Groudon hoisted its sails, rushing towards Lulusia Kingdom. The Revolutionary Army and the Marines were in fierce battle, and the situation was unknown.
Soon, mist rose from the sea.
"Daichi-sama, we are currently at the edge of the Florian Triangle and will soon sail out of the dense fog."
"Alright."
Daichi nodded slightly.
Looking at the extremely low visibility of the dense fog, it was somewhat unsettling, but the Florian Triangle was not far from Sabaody Archipelago and was vast, making it hard to avoid completely.
However, as long as one followed the Log Pose's guidance and didn't venture too deep, the danger level wasn't actually that high. Usually, shipwrecked vessels were due to inexperienced or overconfident navigators, or some pirates seeking treasure.
Half an hour later, the dense fog gradually dissipated.
When the bright sunlight appeared, the crew couldn't help but cheer happily, and cheers also came from nearby.
"Huh?!"
Both sides looked at each other.
"Warship?!"
"Groudon?!"
"Whoa?!!!"
Two giant warships sailed side by side, less than ten meters apart, and all the crew members on both sides were startled.
Daichi stood at the bow, looking at the warship's bow.
It was Akainu!
After a long silence, Daichi crossed his arms.
"Hisashiburi dana, Akainu!"
"Daichi!"
Akainu's fist glowed.