In a sea area of the Calm Belt, bordering the New World and the West Blue.
Ten large Navy battleships were slowly sailing across this stretch of the sea.
Due to the special environment of the Calm Belt, even Navy battleships of this scale could only meekly rely on the Marines to row them with oars.
More trouble lay in the fact that the deployment of the fleet was an irresistible lure for the sea monsters inhabiting this area.
Just then, a gigantic Sea King emerged, breaking through the surface and opening its monstrous maw to bite down directly on one of the warships.
"Don't get in the way!"
Two figures leaped simultaneously from two adjacent warships.
Two enormous slashes of light suddenly intersected.
"Aang!"
The massive Sea King shrieked. Two huge, intersecting, X-shaped wounds had been sliced directly into its body.
Amidst the spraying blood, the colossal Sea King smashed heavily onto the sea surface, stirring up wave after towering wave.
The two figures in mid-air then landed simultaneously on their respective warships.
"Every time we pass through the Calm Belt, we can't avoid interruptions like this."
With a stern face and several scars, Dogman Doberman, a well-known Navy hardline Vice Admiral, slowly returned his sword to its sheath, his tone carrying a hint of annoyance.
"When will Dr. Vegapunk finally invent a sky-ship like those bastard pirates have?"
"A battleship flying in the sky?"
On the deck of the neighboring ship, the equally renowned Navy Vice Admiral, Momonga, couldn't help but sigh softly. "That must have been created by Vinsmoke Judge, right? Those shipwrights whom Roa snatched from Water 7 must have helped too."
"The Calamity Company disappearing for more than twenty years was indeed to build up strength, I see."
Those battleships were truly formidable.
None of the Navy Headquarters' vessels could compete with them.
To deal with those sky-ships, it would have to be up to them, the Vice Admirals, to personally take action, using Moonwalk to fly up high and launch attacks against those vessels.
"A bunch of lunatics who don't know their place!"
Doberman's voice was frigid. "The best ending for relics of the previous era was to quietly disappear! Now they dare to come out and cause chaos among the populace! This time, it will be their death sentence!"
"Er—"
Momonga paused.
That fellow Roa is only forty-one this year, and in photos, he looks barely sixteen or seventeen. Compared to him, we seem more like relics of the previous era.
However, such remarks, detrimental to unity, should obviously not be uttered.
"Accelerate!"
Doberman completely disregarded the condition of the rowing Marines and shouted orders loudly. "We must enter the West Blue at the fastest possible speed!"
"That sea area is currently under immense threat!"
Just like Fleet Admiral Akainu, Momonga inwardly lamented.
But he couldn't say anything now.
The situation was indeed urgent, and there was no time for—
"Yee-haha, are you in such a hurry to die?"
A lazy, indifferent, and condescending voice rang out.
"If you're so desperate, then I should bring you good news. You don't need to travel all the way to the West Blue; you can just die here."
"Who is it!!"
Doberman suddenly whipped his head around.
A few beads of cold sweat already dotted his forehead.
When?
Then, Doberman saw clearly the man quietly squatting on the crossbar of the mast.
A white headband, long earlobes, a bare torso, and lazy, half-closed eyes.
"You are!"
Doberman's pupils shrank.
He recognized this man!
Although the man was virtually unknown on the high seas, Doberman definitely knew him!
To this day, every piece of intelligence concerning the Calamity Company has been thoroughly analyzed by the World Government and Navy intelligence agencies.
Every member of the Calamity Company has undergone round after round of analysis.
This man was just a kid twenty-five years ago, but he had long been on the radar of high-ranking Navy officials!
Even though he had almost no track record back then.
However, the likes of Teach and Doflamingo also had no track record twenty-five years ago!
The mere fact that this man was chosen by Roa to be an executive of the Calamity Company when he was still young should be a clear indication that he was absolutely not a simple person!!
"Momonga! Alert everyone! Prepare for battle!!"
Doberman roared.
How could this be!
How could an executive of the Calamity Company find us so quickly?
The news of reinforcing the West Blue was not strictly classified, but it was certainly not something just anyone would be privy to.
Let alone their precise navigation route!
There is an enemy spy within the Navy!
The thought flashed through Doberman's mind.
But none of that mattered now!
The only thing to do now was to eliminate this fellow!
Doberman had drawn his sword, his eyes extremely grim.
"Battle?"
The man who had traveled a long distance, Enel, showed none of the respect he displayed toward Roa. The man's eyes were half-drooping, and he raised his right hand, lazily picking his ear with his little finger, his manner utterly listless.
"The only thing you should be considering now is not being foolish enough to oppose the Boss in your next life."
"Arrogant!"
Doberman instantly shot up. His speed was so great that even the wind couldn't catch up to his figure.
The sharp longsword was wrapped in dark Haki, tearing through the air in an instant.
Then, the dark longsword directly severed Enel's neck.
"What?"
Doberman's face instantly turned pale at that moment. He looked back in disbelief.
Enel, who had just been passed by, indeed had his neck severed, but no blood splattered from the wound, only a leaping lightning bolt.
Lightning?
A Logia-type, the Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit)??
"Doberman! I'm coming to help!"
Vice Admiral Momonga from the neighboring ship had already sprung over. His equally dark longsword instantly pierced Enel's heart.
"How can this be!"
Momonga's expression also changed.
I clearly used Armament Haki!
Why did it not work?
"Watch out! Momonga!"
Doberman, who had launched himself off the air again using Moonwalk, roared. "This fellow's Observation Haki is extraordinary!"
Armament Haki cannot fail to work on a Logia user!
Then there was only one reason!
This fellow's Observation Haki was much stronger than theirs!
So he could easily predict their attacks and elementally transform in advance to evade them!
"Watch out? Don't make me laugh."
Enel tilted his head slightly. "Clueless scum."
His long, strong right hand grasped the longsword that had pierced his chest. "Now, let me see you watch out."
Clap-crack!
Brilliant blue and white lightning suddenly leaped up, instantly engulfing Vice Admiral Momonga completely.
"Waaah!"
An incomparably miserable shriek echoed instantly across the sea.
"Momonga!!"
Doberman's forehead was already sweating.
Although they belonged to different factions, at this moment, they were both warriors fighting for justice!
"Stop it, you bastard!"
Gripping his sword with both hands, he was about to cleave down at Enel's back.
Enel glanced back slightly. "You've caused enough trouble, you wild dog."
Clap-crack!
A lightning bolt erupted from Enel's back, instantly piercing Doberman's chest like a spear.
No, it wasn't like one!
The lightning genuinely possessed a physical form! It was a true Thunder Spear! It was irresistibly sharp, piercing through Doberman's skin, muscles, bones, and internal organs in a flash.
The wound was instantly carbonized. Doberman's body completely stiffened.
The famous Navy hawk Vice Admiral's eyes were rapidly losing their light.
"Remember what I said. In your next life, don't be foolish enough to oppose the Boss."
Enel sneered, and in the next instant, he transformed into lightning, flashing up into the sky, overlooking the entire Navy fleet below.
"Time to end this. Now, all of you go to hell, you scum."
Dazzling lightning suddenly shot up from Enel, then exploded in the sky into a massive Thunder Flower.
Then, countless lightning bolts rained down like a storm, directly enveloping the entire Navy fleet.
"100 Million Volts · Vari!"
The blinding lightning illuminated every panicked face.
The Vice Admirals who leaped up, ready to support Momonga and Doberman, were the first to receive the baptism of the lightning storm.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
In a flash, the lightning swallowed everything.
In the sky, Enel lazily stretched. "All done."
"However,"
He suddenly murmured to himself, "It seems the message was sent back to Navy Headquarters. I hope Dylan is alright."
Almost simultaneously.
Navy Headquarters, New Marineford.
"What!!"
Sengoku slammed his hand down on the table. The sturdy desk shattered in response. He spoke through gritted teeth, "Say that again!"
In front of him, the communications officer's face was equally ashen. "The fleet led by Vice Admiral Doberman was attacked by pirates under Roa in the Calm Belt."
"The enemy is a Logia user of the Goro Goro no Mi. Vice Admiral Momonga was killed first, and Vice Admiral Doberman was also defeated and perished."
"Now, the entire fleet is unreachable... they must have been..."
"..."
Sengoku suddenly felt the world spinning. His body staggered, and he slumped backward into his office chair.
"Damn it!!!"
An invisible aura surged, and everything in the office trembled.
That was a fleet composed of five Vice Admirals and ten large battleships!
The minimum configuration for a Buster Call was barely more than that!
How many Vice Admirals did the Navy have in total?
No!
Sengoku, after all, was known as the "Fleet Admiral, the Strategist." He immediately realized that this was not the time for anger!
One fleet had been destroyed, but what about the other one?
Would that bastard Roa not make a move?
A wave of fear suddenly surfaced in his heart.
"Quickly dispatch Borsalino!!"
And so, a flash of light shot out from the new Navy Headquarters, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
North Blue, near the Red Line, in the sea area adjacent to the Calm Belt.
A Navy fleet was hastily moving forward.
The news from Headquarters had struck fear into everyone.
The message had been leaked!
Moreover, the Pirate Alliance had launched its attack immediately. The other fleet had been annihilated!
Roa had even sent only an unknown subordinate to effortlessly kill everyone!
Since that fleet was destroyed, then, of course, their side must also have been targeted!
They could only make an emergency change of course.
But.
"Found you at last."
In the sky, King flapped his wings, looking down at the fleet below.
The fleet's sudden change of direction had indeed caused him some trouble.
But not much.
After all, based on the time estimate, the Navy fleet, no matter how much they changed course, could not leave this area.
With King's mobility, a single patrol flight in the sky over this sea area was enough to easily discover their tracks.
However.
"That Enel fellow was still too fast."
King shook his head helplessly.
He was, of course, much stronger than Enel, but when it came to speed, there was no comparison with the Goro Goro no Mi user.
"Well then, let me help the Boss sweep away these insignificant specks of dust."
King spread his right hand, pointing it at the fleet below.
"Guardian - Fire Dragon Emperor!"
Scorching flames coiled up from his back, forming a giant ring of fire.
In the next instant, an immense Fire Dragon roared down from within the ring of fire.
This Fire Dragon, composed of viscous flames indistinguishable from lava, began to split as it fell, dividing into ten smaller fire dragons that clawed their way toward the ten warships below.
The Navy fleet below had actually noticed something was wrong the moment the fire dragons appeared in the sky.
But they could only look up as the fire of destruction descended from above, helpless to do anything.
"They've come!! They really have!"
"Who is it? A Mera Mera no Mi user?"
"What do we do! They're coming down at us! Someone save us!"
"Vice Admirals! We're counting on you!"
The Navy Vice Admirals were indeed reliable.
Just as the destructive Fire Dragons were about to smash onto the warships, the commanding Vice Admirals finally leaped up, brandishing their respective weapons to meet the attack.
"Don't you dare act so insolently!"
Vice Admiral Yamakaji furiously roared, swinging his blade towards the descending Fire Dragon.
His physique was considered tall and sturdy among ordinary people, but he was minuscule, like a mouse, before the monstrous, clawing Fire Dragon descending from the sky.
And at this moment, the mouse swung his sword—
"Waaah!"
Amidst a scream, Yamakaji was engulfed by the literal flames. The Fire Dragon's momentum was unchecked, and it continued to smash down towards the Navy warship below.
Not just him, all the Vice Admirals who met the attack failed to stop the falling Fire Dragons in the slightest, and they were instantly swallowed.
Destruction, now truly descended with an unstoppable momentum!
The Marines on the deck were utterly despairing at this moment.
Their doomsday was imminent—
The sky suddenly brightened.
"Hmm?"
King suddenly looked up at the sky in the distance.
Light!
Overwhelming light tore through the sky!
Dense, rain-like spots of light suddenly came from the distant sky.
The clawing Fire Dragons were instantly riddled with holes by these light spots. A few seconds later, they began to crumble.
But even so, the viscous, crumbling flames continued to smash down onto the warships below.
Fire.
It had already begun to spread wantonly throughout the fleet.
"Oh!"
King nodded slightly. "So it's you."
"It's been a while since you've been kicked by light, hasn't it, King?"
Light suddenly converged in front of King, and a right foot shining with brilliance descended.
"That's not something to be nostalgic about."
King twisted his body. His boot-clad right leg was wrapped in Haki, and he met the attack with a whip kick of his own.
Boom!
The sky was shaken.
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