Chapter 170: The Vastness of the World, The Smallness of Man
"G-54 Branch is at the target coordinates. No abnormalities at this time."
"G-53 Branch is 3 nautical miles from target. No abnormalities."
"G-47 Branch is 9 nautical miles from target. No abnormalities."
...
A flood of reports was relayed through the flagship. Hina stood on the deck, the sea wind tearing at her dress shirt, her white Justice coat snapping in the wind. Her hearing was excellent; even from here, she could hear the communications inside.
"Captain Hina, are we not moving in? Rear Admiral Robert of G-54 is getting impatient."
Petty Officer John came up behind her, his head bowed as he gave his nervous report. He had never imagined that the news of [El Dorado] would spread so fast. He had only told a few nearby pirate crews… But now, multiple Marine branches had mobilized a total of eight warships. This kind of deployment, outside of a legendary [Buster Call], was an incredibly rare, large-scale operation. More than ten high-ranking Marine officers were participating. Even a pirate with a bounty in the hundreds of millions wouldn't warrant this kind of response.
The only reasonable explanation was that the Marines had also received orders from on high. They wanted the [City of Gold].
Hina, as if she hadn't heard John, elegantly held a slim cigarette, but the wind was so strong that it had nearly burned down to the filter before she could even take a drag.
"Captain Hina, we…"
The woman spun around, her eyes fixing John with a vicious glare that he had never seen on the beautiful, high-ranking officer. "Shut your mouth, sailor! If you want to die, you can jump overboard right now, but this ship is not moving!"
Hina was in a terrible mood. That damned monster actually thought he was a [God]. She clicked her tongue. A guy like that was the most troublesome to "cooperate" with. Ordinary pirates wanted money, or power, or women. You could always find a way to satisfy them. If a person had desires, they could be manipulated. But a madman who truly believed he was a god? How could you satisfy him?
Even though she had suppressed all reports of abnormalities in this sea area, even though she had continuously driven pirates and merchant ships into his territory, even though she had done so much, he had only seen it as the "offering" a "believer" should provide. And this "God" had never given her anything in return.
Hina's dissatisfaction with Enel had been growing for a long time. But she was wary of his power. A Logia fruit like that... she believed that even a standard Marine Vice Admiral would be unable to handle him. But if it escalated to the level of an Admiral, [El Dorado] would no longer have anything to do with her. And so, she had endured, even using his power to eliminate her branch's rising star, Coby, and her rival, Major Roshio.
Hina stared coldly as, in the distance, the other warships arrived at the target coordinates one by one. A smile touched her lips. Since this evil god will never give me anything, I'll just have to use his own savagery to carve out a future for myself.
CRACKLE!
John flinched, terrified. He looked and saw that, from a clear blue sky, an azure-white bolt of lightning had fallen. In an instant, the G-54 flagship exploded and was torn in two, its sinking form disappearing into the waves.
"That's…" John's mouth was open, but he didn't know what to say.
CRACKLE!
Another bolt. Another warship exploded.
A storm of lightning was now raining from the sky, and the sound of horrific screams began to come in over the communications channel.
John stood on the deck, watching in stunned silence as the terrifying, ship-sized bolts of lightning fell one after another, turning the rendezvous point into an ocean hell. He saw a black dot shoot up from the wreckage of the G-54 flagship—Rear Admiral Robert, a master of the [Rokushiki] and a man rumored to be able to kill a Sea King with a single blow.
But the next moment, with a CRACKLE that was slightly delayed, the black dot that was the Rear Admiral simply fell from the sky, disintegrating into black ash before he even hit the water.
John was trembling violently. Rear Admiral Robert, a man with the strength of ten thousand, had been killed just like that?
He had been chosen for his superb marksmanship back home, and had been assigned to this Grand Line branch. At first, he had thought his precision shooting would make a difference. But after the initial assessment, his comprehensive abilities had ranked him at the bottom, and he had been assigned to the comms room. He had watched as the other recruits in the field force, every one ofthem, were taller and stronger than him, any one of them able to punch with hundreds of pounds of force.
But even those men had been overshadowed by the young Marine, Coby. His speed, his strength, his fighting technique, his accuracy… he was on another level. And yet, that same Coby, who had been sent to Headquarters for special training, had apparently been considered "average" there.
The vastness of the world, in John's eyes, was this endless ladder of people. No matter how dazzling you were back home, a one-in-a-million genius, there was always someone far, far above you. And now, this powerful Rear Admiral, a master of the [Rokushiki], had died without even seeing his enemy's face.
The sense of helplessness, of being so small, made John's knees buckle.
SMACK!
Hina backhanded him across the face, sending him flying. She had long since realized the vastness of the world. This world was ruled by monsters, by pure, absolute violence. Had Gol D. Roger been called the King of the Pirates because he had successfully circumnavigated the Grand Line? No. It was because his ability to do so represented a terrifying power that put him above almost every other pirate crew. The Four Emperors, the Seven Warlords, the Marines… not a single one of them wasn't using pure violence to enforce their rule.
This world… was rotten.
Hina, her eyes cold, felt nothing for the deaths of her colleagues. She strode into the comms room, where the other sailors were pale with fright. The room was still echoing with the final, frantic calls from the other ships.
"Mayday! G-47 needs assistance!"
"G-53 is…"
"AAAGH!"
Hina shoved the man at the internal Transponder Snail aside. He crashed into the bulkhead. She picked up the receiver.
"This is Captain Hina, G-51 Branch, contacting Marine Headquarters."
"We have encountered a hostile force at 5 nautical miles southeast of Skuld Island. All other branch vessels… have been confirmed lost!"
"Requesting immediate backup!"
The Transponder Snail's expression shifted to one of shock. The catastrophic news was clearly too much for even Headquarters to believe. A moment later, its face changed again, and a low, gravelly voice came through.
"This is Marine HQ. Sakazuki."
Hina's spirit lifted. She hadn't expected Admiral [Akainu] himself to answer. She instinctively stood up straighter. "Yes, sir! Reporting the situation now! We arrived at the rendezvous point, but the sky suddenly erupted in a massive electrical storm! Rear Admiral Robert flew up to engage the enemy but was killed instantly! The other ships were destroyed by lightning within thirty seconds! Our ship was on the perimeter and was the only one to escape. The enemy is suspected to be a Logia-type Devil Fruit user!"
She had thrown the miserly "God" Enel under the bus without a second thought.
BZZT!
A burst of static came from the Transponder Snail. Hina's pupils contracted. Before she could speak, a new voice came through the receiver.
"Hina. You really are not a pious believer."
In that moment, Hina felt an icy chill shoot from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. This guy… this is from over 20 nautical miles away! And how is he intercepting a private, encrypted Transponder Snail call?!
Enel's bizarre abilities, and his unbelievable range, made Hina's heart sink.
"Is this the one who attacked your men?" Sakazuki's voice rumbled, like a volcano preparing to erupt.
But Enel just laughed. "Yahahahaha! Attacked? That was divine punishment for their blasphemy, mortal."
At Marine HQ, Sakazuki's face was grim. He had seen plenty of arrogant fools who had just eaten a Devil Fruit, but this was the first time he had ever encountered a madman who truly believed he was a god.
"Captain Hina. Retreat. Headquarters will handle this." Sakazuki coldly hung up.
But Hina was frozen. She tried to hang up the receiver, but a blue-white electrical current was now arcing from the Transponder Snail. John, who had watched this all unfold, instinctively turned and ran for the lifeboats.
The receiver began to move on its own. Enel's voice continued.
"Hina. Bring your ship, and your men, to my island. I think I would very much like to know… what that Sakazuki is planning. Yahahahaha…"
His laugh echoed from the comms room, like rolling thunder.
At that same moment, in the sky above, a figure that looked like a flamingo shot through the clouds.
CRACKLE!
A bolt of lightning exploded. Doflamingo froze in mid-air, a massive, heaven-sent bolt of lightning descending upon him. He looked up, and his entire body instantly turned a deep, glossy black.
In his temple, Enel sat up straight. He had felt it. His [Divine Punishment]… had not injured the target. This was the first time this had ever happened. This is… Haki?!
In the waters far below, on a small, single-masted raft, Kaito Shirogane watched the massive lightning bolt in the sky and the flash of red from the figure. His smile widened.
He looked at the one remaining, undamaged Marine warship, and began to row.
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Guys We cross the 500 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 600 power stone,come on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
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Every 5 new reviews = 2 extra chapters
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter