"Fire the cannons! Fire! Break through!"
"Attack Impel Down! Rescue Chinjao-sama!"
"Smash the Marines! Charge!"
"Fire at the main gate! Blast Impel Down's gate wide open!"
The pirates of the Happo Navy roared and shouted, driving their ships one after another to assault the Marine warships, attempting to breach the naval defense line and storm into Impel Down.
Splintered wood flew everywhere, and the continuous roar was like rolling thunder. High-velocity cannonballs, carrying powerful kinetic energy, slammed into the ships on both sides, unleashing a bloodbath where shattered limbs and mangled bodies flew through the air.
Quite a few cannonballs struck the outer wall of Impel Down, but unfortunately, the wall was fused with a large amount of Seastone, making it incredibly tough. Let alone 18-pound or 24-pound cannons, even 48-pound fortress heavy artillery could only leave shallow dents.
"Damn it! Return fire! Return fire!"
"What's wrong with these guys? Are they suicidal?"
"Hurry! Inform Headquarters! Report to Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
Faced with the mad assault of the Happo Navy, the Marines were momentarily stunned. The enemy only had eight ships and fewer than a thousand men. Their ships were smaller than the Marines', and their firepower was nothing to speak of. Were they simply coming here to die?
On the flagship of the Happo Navy.
"Straw Hat! This is as far as we can go! Any closer and we'll be completely wiped out! Marine Headquarters should be sending reinforcements now! Boo will take you under the water. Take this chance to infiltrate Impel Down! We'll hold them off for a little longer!"
"It's up to you! Good luck!"
Sai punched an incoming cannonball out of the air and roared loudly, gripping his naginata.
....
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Pere pere pere pere… Pere pere pere pere…
Pere pere pere pere… Pere pere pere pere…
The Den Den Mushi was ringing nonstop.
Click.
"This is Marine Headquarters!"
"What? Impel Down is under attack by nearly ten pirate ships?!"
"Who is it? The Whitebeard Pirates?"
With the public execution scheduled for the next day, this critical moment saw a massive pirate attack on the Great Prison. This immediately put the Marines on high alert.
Bam!
"I don't care if it's the Happo Navy or any other pirate crew! Impel Down absolutely cannot be compromised! Not a single pirate can be stolen! Order them to hold the line!"
"Where is Sakazuki? Send him to resolve this!"
Sengoku was furious in his office, immediately ordering Admiral Sakazuki, who practiced the philosophy of 'Absolute Justice,' to provide support.
....
At the same time, Holy Land Mariejois.
Inside a lavish building on the edge of the Holy Land, the summoned Warlords of the Sea were gathered, accompanied by several Vice Admirals, including Chief of Staff Tsuru, with numerous Marine soldiers standing guard around them.
"Zehahahahaha~ This cherry pie is quite good!" Teach tore into a large chunk of cherry pie, gobbling it down.
"Honestly, forcing us to act as gatekeepers, fuffuffufu~ What a scheme!" Doflamingo sat improperly on the back of his chair, his feet resting on the seat. He held a piece of meat in one hand and a document in the other, letting out intermittent, strange laughter.
"Hmph~ A bunch of smelly men!" Standing by the window, Hancock frowned slightly, her red lips parting as she muttered to herself, "But why hasn't Aeridar arrived yet? To leave me here alone is simply too much."
Kuma sat quietly to the side, his arms crossed.
Mihawk glanced over indifferently, took a sip of champagne, and then propped his feet on the table, lowering his head to rest with his eyes closed.
Bang!
Just then, the main door was pushed open.
"Heh heh heh heh~ That's quite enough, that bastard Jinbe!" Aeridar strode in grandly.
Hearing the door open and Aeridar's voice, everyone in the room looked toward the entrance. Even Mihawk, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened his eyes and looked up.
"Aeridar!" Hancock's beautiful face lit up with joy.
"Fufufufufu~ You're right, he certainly is a bastard. But luckily, the business hasn't taken too much of a hit." Hearing Aeridar's words, a few veins popped out on Doflamingo's smooth forehead.
The Seven Warlords Alliance originally had five members who cooperated closely, and their business was extremely lucrative. But this year, Crocodile had been defeated by the rookie Straw Hat, sending him to Impel Down.
Then, just a few days ago, because the Marines were going to publicly execute Fire Fist Ace and summoned the Warlords, 'Knight of the Sea' Jinbe, who was friends with Ace and the Whitebeard Pirates, and whose Fish-Man Island was under Whitebeard's protection, rushed to Marineford and vehemently opposed the war, declaring that he would rather give up his Warlord status than participate.
In response, Fleet Admiral Sengoku was absolutely livid, ordering Jinbe's immediate arrest and imprisonment in the great prison to 'cool down.'
If it hadn't been for Neptune presiding over Fish-Man Island, the lucrative trade in luxury goods like deep-sea coral, pearls, and rare medicines between Aeridar and Doflamingo would have suffered massive losses, which was why both Aeridar and Doflamingo were somewhat annoyed at Jinbe.
"My apologies, I'm a little late."
Aeridar smiled, walked up to Hancock, and wrapped an arm around her slender, soft waist.
"Hmph~"
Hancock's pretty face couldn't hide her smile, but she still turned her head away with a haughty sniff to show her displeasure.
"How affectionate, fufufufufu~" Doflamingo cackled.
Chief of Staff Tsuru's gaze swept over the three of them several times, causing her to frown slightly.
"Zehahahahaha~ Golden Ring Aeridar! Ruler of the World Neutral Zone! I've heard so much about you!" Teach, still clutching his cherry pie, grinned, looking at Aeridar with curiosity.
When Lafitte returned from the last Warlord meeting, he had provided a detailed report of the people he met and the conversations they had. In particular, Aeridar's knowledge of him had unnerved Teach. He couldn't understand why the other man would pay attention to him when he was still unknown.
"Marshall D. Teach. The man who captured that kid Ace. Very well done!" Aeridar's smile faded as he stared deeply at Teach, his gaze like a sharp arrow, as if trying to see right through him.
Transactions with the Whitebeard Pirates were mostly handled by Arlan or Mina. Aeridar had only met Marco and a few other Whitebeard commanders, never Whitebeard himself, let alone Teach, who had been so deeply hidden.
Under Aeridar's scrutiny, Teach felt a jolt of alarm, sensing that the other party had seen right through him, even giving him the illusion that Aeridar knew his entire plan.
"Zehahahahaha~ This cherry pie is really delicious!" Teach avoided Aeridar's piercing gaze and busied himself by stuffing his face with the cherry pie.
"Despicable man!" Hancock looked at Teach with disdain.
Aeridar frowned, thinking to himself, 'Able to bend and stretch when needed. He is indeed the man who will manipulate the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates in the palm of his hand. A resilient, insidious, cruel, and greedy fellow!'
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