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3 CHAPTERS TODAY!!!
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Marine Headquarters.
Akainu's cigar was crushed between his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead as a cold sweat broke out.
The moment he saw the footage from Drake, Akainu had, admittedly, acted hastily, issuing the order to besiege the Big Mom Pirates. But after calming down slightly, he too felt something was amiss.
Though the footage clearly showed the Big Mom Pirates' Charlotte Katakuri and Charlotte Brûlée, and the Beasts Pirates' Jack the Drought, along with their own undercover Marine—the process of repeatedly verifying the intel with Drake had also been flawless.
Still, the video was missing some key information and had some logical inconsistencies.
For example, what was written in the letters Sky Sovereign Rowen gave to Big Mom and Kaido that could convince them to believe him and join forces to besiege the Navy?
And then there was the Dark King Rayleigh.
He had never formally come out of retirement. After the Summit War, he had vanished again, never fighting for the Sky Sovereign Grand Fleet.
The Navy hadn't even increased his bounty. So, why would he be willing to use information about the final island, Laugh Tale, as a bargaining chip for Sky Sovereign?
Rayleigh's bond with the Pirate King Roger was incredibly deep; it was far more than a simple subordinate relationship. Given his character, it was almost impossible to believe he would trade away Roger's legacy.
But... they were dealing with Sky Sovereign Rowen.
The man who had inflicted the most terrifying damage on the Navy in its history. The Strongest Devil Fruit User.
His endless, bizarre combinations of Devil Fruit powers, which broke through the limits of the Fruits themselves, had horrified even Akainu.
No one in the world knew what this man was truly capable of. Just because something was impossible for others didn't mean it was impossible for him.
Faking the video? Abducting Drake and using a special ability to seize control of his secret communication methods with the Navy? Is that truly impossible for this man?
Of course it was possible.
But it was also possible that the footage and its contents were all real, and there was nothing wrong with Drake.
So, as Akainu had just discussed with Tsuru, launching a probing attack on the Big Mom Pirates to gather more intelligence was a necessary step. After all, with the Big Mom and Beasts Pirates already at war with Sky Sovereign, a minor assault from the Navy wouldn't push them into a desperate, all-out fight. If they confirmed the intel was fake, they could call off the attack and continue to observe.
Receiving such major intelligence, the Navy had to confirm it. On this point, even Tsuru, after understanding Akainu's reasoning, supported it.
After all, if the information in the footage was all true, then the Navy was indeed facing a terrifying crisis.
THREE complete Emperor crews attacking Marine HQ in concert!
Sky Sovereign Rowen, Kaido of the Beasts, and Big Mom.
These three were not the old, dying Whitebeard who needed medical equipment to stay alive. Their Haki and stamina were terrifyingly immense.
Even the weakest of the three, Big Mom, whose brain often short-circuited, was not an opponent an Admiral could handle when she got serious. Her complete mastery of Haoshoku Coating was just too powerful.
And then there was Sky Sovereign Rowen.
The growth in his strength during the Summit War had horrified even a veteran like Tsuru, who had seen everything. He had completely suppressed the combined might of Akainu and Sengoku. If Garp hadn't intervened, their defeat was only a matter of time.
NEVER BEFORE IN THE HISTORY OF THE SEAS HAD THERE BEEN A MAN WHO COULD SINGLE-HANDEDLY FIGHT TWO ADMIRAL-LEVEL POWERHOUSES!
A combination of Sky Sovereign Rowen, Kaido, and Big Mom—the mere thought made even Tsuru's spirit tremble.
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Even if their Navy, after the World Military Draft, was stronger than before the Summit War—facing such a combination, they truly risked complete annihilation!
Exaggeration aside, previously the Four Emperors were kept in check because of the balance of the seas, maintained by the Three Great Powers.
If the Navy went all-out against one Emperor, the others would interfere. Even two Emperors allied together couldn't defeat the combined forces of the Navy and the Warlords.
And an alliance of three or four Emperors was considered impossible.
They all had their own goals. Who would lead?
However, the appearance of Sky Sovereign Rowen not only broke the balance of the seas, but also completely shattered the balance of combat power on these seas!
Compared to the other Four Emperors, Sky Sovereign Rowen possessed an absolutely crushing level of combat strength.
This had never happened in the era of the Four Emperors before!
Under these circumstances, for Sky Sovereign Rowen to lead and dominate, uniting Big Mom and Kaido to attack Marine HQ and completely defeat the Navy—was it really impossible?
So, even with the many doubts about the video, they had to be on guard.
This was why Tsuru had agreed with Akainu's probing attack and was even planning a strategy for it.
But who could have known... before their Navy could take the next step... they received the report of Charlotte Oven and Charlotte Galette meeting with Pirate Hunter and Jinbe.
These people were all core members of the Big Mom Pirates and the Sky Sovereign Grand Fleet!
This meeting, combined with the prior video evidence... though there were still many doubts, one thing was becoming terrifyingly clear.
THE PROBABILITY OF AN ALLIANCE BETWEEN SKY SOVEREIGN, BIG MOM, AND KAIDO WAS NOW EXTREMELY HIGH!
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"So they really have allied??" Akainu's forehead was also beaded with fine sweat.
Though he had already seen the footage and knew of the possibility of their alliance, truly confirming this news still shocked Akainu.
This was undoubtedly the most terrifying crisis the Navy had ever faced!
For a long time, whether it was the Rocks era, the Roger era, or the current Four Emperor era... their Navy had a countless supply of troops, plus the vast financial support of the World Government—the Navy's military strength had always been on a broken, leading level, undoubtedly the strongest force in every era!
But now, facing an alliance of three Emperors, their proud military superiority had ceased to exist. One wrong move, and the forces of Justice could be completely overthrown.
"Deploy Kizaru And Ryokugyu! Annihilate Charlotte Galette And Charlotte Oven!"
"Pirate Hunter must be killed! And that traitor Jinbe! Best to capture him alive and put him on trial for Justice!" Akainu immediately issued the order.
"SAKAZUKI! CALM DOWN!" Tsuru, hearing Akainu wanted to deploy two Admirals, immediately stood up, trying to calm him down.
"CALL ME FLEET ADMIRAL!" Akainu looked at Tsuru.
"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki... Calm down," Tsuru took a deep breath and said slowly.
"Once you deploy an Admiral, it truly means formally going to war with an Emperor! To make such a war deployment when the situation is not yet completely clear also requires the authorization of the World Government," Tsuru looked at Akainu.
"HMPH! WHAT ELSE NEEDS TO BE CONFIRMED? The commanders of the Big Mom Pirates and the Sky Sovereign Grand Fleet are already gathering! Are we supposed to wait until they are fully assembled and attacking our headquarters before we can be certain??" Akainu's eyes were filled with iron-blooded determination.
"As For The World Government! If They Object, Then You Tell Them This—"
"I Am The Fleet Admiral! The Supreme Commander Of The Navy!"
"The Safety Of The Four Blues And The Grand Line Rests On My Shoulders!"
"Right Now, The Navy Is Facing The Greatest Crisis Since Its Founding!"
"Either They Remove Me From My Post, Or They Let Me Do My Job!"
Akainu's voice thundered through the room.
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The staff officers and Marine HQ Elites present were filled with fervent passion.
Whether Akainu was too impulsive or not, this man truly shouldered the responsibility of Justice.
A man who dared to take responsibility was especially admired in a military organization like the Navy.
"Phew! I understand." Tsuru could only exhale and say gravely.
Sakazuki was right. He was the Fleet Admiral. And the situation was indeed turning against them. As the Great Staff Officer, all she could do was faithfully execute his orders and use her wisdom to contribute to the Navy's victory.
"Justice will prevail!"
Akainu swished his 'Justice' coat, his iron-blooded head held high as he went outside to issue the Fleet Admiral's orders.
"JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL!" The staff officers and Marine HQ Elites in the conference room roared lowly.
Even Tsuru whispered the words. It was the reason for their existence. The one thing no Marine could ever compromise on.
Soon, under Akainu's orders, Admiral Kizaru and Admiral Ryokugyu were deployed.
Their target: The territory of the Big Mom Pirates.
Deploying two Admirals meant—Marine HQ and the Big Mom Pirates were officially at war!
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Big Mom Pirates' sea region.
"Kizaru and Ryokugyu have been deployed?" Zoro asked 'Oven'.
"They're being quite cautious, sending two Admirals," Oven smiled.
In his hand, a black Listening Transponder Snail was quietly doing its work.
It would take some effort for Zoro and Jinbe to deal with Kizaru and Ryokugyu. In that time, the Navy could send reinforcements. But the goal isn't a just Kizaru and Ryokugyu.
This large-scale war, once started, had no turning back.
Rowen had listened to Akainu and Tsuru's argument with his enhanced Transponder Snail. This was his goal. The video had flaws, yes. But so what? It was just the beginning.
Rowen had plenty of ways to force the Big Mom Pirates, the Beasts Pirates, and Marine Headquarters into a chaotic melee.
War—Is Using Any Means Necessary!
Going to war with the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates formally, even if he won in the end, Rowen's own combat forces would surely suffer great losses.
Since the Navy wanted to get involved, how could he not give them a chance to shine?
"The number of pieces drawn into the chaos... is still not enough." 'Oven' smiled.
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