Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Inside the conference hall, sending out troops was a certainty.
But to what extent, the two factions began to argue.
The doves believed that fighting was acceptable, as long as it was merely a show of force.
Otherwise, if this pretense was broken, revealing the Headquarters' weakness, the pirates would fall into a frenzy, with unimaginable consequences.
The hawks insisted on a decisive battle.
If they couldn't hurt them significantly this time, they would do it again.
As long as Shiki was killed, after two Great Pirates fell consecutively, the pirates would surely behave themselves.
The two factions held their ground, each with their own reasoning.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku felt a headache. Both sides had valid points.
Should they fight, or fight to the death...
At this moment, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's adjutant entered.
After whispering something to Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral's eyes lit up.
After a few seconds of thought,
"Bang!"
He slammed the table:
"Enough, quiet down!"
"This expedition will consist of five warships, a symbolic warning to Shiki."
"Sakazuki will lead the force." 138 Reading Network
"Sakazuki, come out with me."
With that, he walked out.
Sakazuki's brow twitched, and he followed.
The two factions in the conference hall exchanged glances.
Sending out five warships was clearly just for show, to avoid exposing the Headquarters' weakness.
But to have Sakazuki lead the force... this...
Who didn't know that Sakazuki fought pirates with reckless abandon?
The Marshal's office.
Sakazuki followed Fleet Admiral Sengoku into the office.
He sat on the sofa.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku said:
"Do you know why I arranged it this way?"
Sakazuki pondered for a few seconds...
And shook his head.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku grinned:
"We found Sengoku, and he is on his way back with Garp."
"I told them not to appear before everyone."
"By the time you reach the Red Line, it will be evening."
"The fleet will stay overnight."
"Since Shiki dared to test us, it means he received news from somewhere."
"I will arrange for someone to meet you and have Sengoku and Garp sneak onto the warship."
"On the surface, only you will be leading five warships to hunt down Shiki."
"Shiki will not imagine that Sengoku and Garp are hidden on board."
Sengoku couldn't help but laugh again.
Sakazuki's lips also curved into a smile.
The two exchanged a knowing glance.
------------
New World, Shiki's Fleet.
A massive floating island flew at a low altitude, surrounded by several pirate ships.
The direction of flight was towards the Red Line.
Inside the grand palace on the floating island, Shiki sat at the head of the table.
To his left and right were the captains of various pirate crews. After being infused with new blood,
Their forces had barely recovered to seventy percent of their strength before the Battle of Marineford.
A large, round sea bowl filled with sake was emptied by Shiki in one gulp.
He slammed the sea bowl onto the table, looking at his subordinates with a surge of exhilaration.
Seeing the overbearing Shiki, a bold captain asked:
"Boss Shiki, where are we going?"
Shiki smiled, his voice booming:
"No rush, let's wait a little longer."
The others were clueless and could only continue their feast.
Halfway through the banquet, with the food and drink mostly consumed, a subordinate pushed open the door and entered.
Shiki's eyes lit up, a hint of impatience:
"What's the reaction from Marine Headquarters!"
The subordinate excitedly said:
"Boss, Marine Headquarters is only sending five warships this time."
"However, the force is led by Marine Vice Admiral, Sakazuki."
Mentioning Sakazuki, the subordinate shivered slightly, recalling the terrifying magma from the Battle of Marineford.
But Shiki burst into laughter:
"Hahahaha, good."
"Go and collect your reward."
Shiki no longer kept them in suspense. He looked at the captains under his command and said:
"Alright, the feast is over."
"Everyone,"
"What we are about to do will change the landscape of the world."
"Look forward to it!"
"Hahahaha!"
The men below exchanged glances:
"Boss Shiki, what are we going to do?"
Shiki contained his laughter and grinned:
"We are going to destroy."
"Marine!"
"Head!"
The subordinates were shocked. This... this wasn't how one sought death!
"Boss Shiki, won't this be too hasty?"
"After all, that's Marine Head..."
Shiki waved his hand:
"No need to worry, I have absolute confidence in what I do."
"The whole world has been deceived by that old guy Kong."
"The current Marines are just an empty shell."
"Sengoku is missing, Zephyr has retired, and Garp's whereabouts are unknown."
"The only combat power that can be relied upon is that old guy Kong."
"And that magma brat Sakazuki."
"Whitebeard's attack on a Marine branch triggered the Battle of Marineford."
"And when I attacked a Marine branch, Marine Headquarters only sent five warships and that brat Sakazuki."
"Doesn't this clearly illustrate the problem?"
"The Marines are now merely an empty shell."
"As long as we shatter this shell."
"Let the world erupt!!!"
"The world will descend into chaos."
"And we will have the opportunity."
"To conquer the world!!!"
"Hahahaha!!!"
The eyes of the subordinates gradually brightened.
One had to admit, Shiki was quite skilled at swaying hearts.
------------
New World - Rana Sea Area.
This area was close to the Red Line. Traveling half a day forward from G1 Branch would lead here.
There were no islands, only an endless expanse of sea.
Shiki's fleet was hidden amidst the thick clouds.
Several lookouts used telescopes to observe the sea below.
Shiki stood by the edge of the floating island, gazing at the sky and sea with a sense of intoxication.
At this moment, a subordinate asked:
"Boss Shiki, we've been waiting here for half a day, who are we waiting for?"
Shiki's eyes narrowed:
"This is the direct route to the next island."
"Here, we will intercept the magma brat."
"Then we will cross the Red Line and destroy Marine Headquarters."
Thinking of the towering magma giant, the subordinate wiped a bead of cold sweat:
"Boss, Sakazuki is not easy to deal with, is he?"
"We..."
Shiki let out a cold snort:
"I've studied it."
"The reason that magma brat was so troublesome last time was because his magma was connected to the magma from the Earth's core."
"Providing an inexhaustible supply of power."
"But here, it's an endless expanse with no islands."
"His combat power will be greatly reduced."
"With us attacking from above, as long as we destroy the warships and leave him nowhere to land."
"He will be nothing more than fish on a chopping board."
Then Shiki paused and let out a cold laugh.
At the distant edge of the sea, five small black dots appeared...
Five warships advanced in a fan formation.
Sakazuki stood at the bow of the leading warship.
His arms crossed, he seemed to be looking at the sea ahead.
In reality, he was recalling and analyzing Sengoku's unusual behavior last night.
Although Sengoku hadn't revealed anything, Garp seemed to be paying extra attention to me...
With his intelligence, it was likely Sengoku had said something...
These two... there's something going on...
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed as he pondered.
At this moment, he seemed to sense something and looked up at the distant sky.
"Shiki."
------------
In the sky, Shiki watched as the fleet below suddenly changed formation.
He grinned:
"He found us."
"Lads, get ready!!"
The subordinates around him raised their weapons and sharpened their blades:
"Ooooh!!!"
Shiki waved his right hand.
Several small islands plummeted towards the warships.
Following that, the massive floating island they were on and the surrounding pirate ships
Also began to dive.
----------
Below, from the leading warship, two infinitely extending magma dragons shot out.
They twisted and adjusted their positions, smashing through the small islands.
Then they charged towards the excited crowd.
Shiki activated his devil fruit ability, gripping his twin swords.
He charged at the two magma dragons at extreme speed.
His sword-wielding hands wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, he was about to strike as they reached him.
Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of crisis arose in his heart!
He forcibly halted his charge.
The magma dragons, as if sensing Shiki's anomaly,
Charged towards Shiki's left and right.
Then.
Bang!!!
The two magma dragon heads exploded!
There was no time to dodge.
Looking at the two figures.
Shiki's hair stood on end, his pupils constricted.
"Someone is trying to kill me!!!!!!"