The terrifying data seemed to silence the entire world.
A long while later...
The curly-haired Gorosei slowly spoke, "Fetch the map of the New World."
Sakazuki's act of detonating the New World, along with his grand plan, began to take shape in their minds...
CP members brought forth the map of the New World, marked by the curly-haired Gorosei, into the pristine white hall.
Sakazuki's deeper purpose was laid bare on paper.
What was initially thought to be Sakazuki's plan to divide and conquer pirate forces, a protracted war, was now apparent.
However, at this moment...
The islands representing the forces of Hale·Nok and the Red-Haired Pirates within the circles on both sides of the New World had all been erased.
Only within the large circle at the very top did the forces of Charlotte Linlin and Kaido remain, along with the remnants of Hale·Nok and Red-Haired Shanks' forces being driven towards them by Aramaki and Borsalino.
All the previous incomprehensible or puzzling mysteries were now solved.
Why had Sakazuki been constantly advancing towards the center since the war began?
Why, at a critical moment, had he suddenly split his forces, sending Aramaki and Borsalino away, yet not to encircle and annihilate, but to push deeper into the enemy territory?
It was now perfectly clear.
This was no protracted war at all.
Sakazuki's objective from the very beginning was this; he had deceived everyone...
From the moment war was declared, he had begun his elaborate scheme.
Constantly dividing and consuming, leading the entire world to believe it was a war of attrition, but in reality, he was just waiting for an opportunity...
That's right.
Just as they provided intelligence to the pirates, stalling the Marines, intending to deal with the Revolutionary Army first before cleansing the New World, Sakazuki's objective was the same, only he was waiting for the Revolutionary Army, waiting for the Revolutionary Army to invade the Four Seas and directly confront the World Government.
He detonated the New World...
The divided New World was instantly emptied, laid bare.
Hale·Nok and the Red-Haired Pirates' forces, accumulated over years, were so easily and almost entirely destroyed.
The remaining subordinates were continuously being driven by Aramaki and Borsalino towards the center, towards that last and largest encirclement.
That was the pirates' final gathering place...
After the islands were detonated last night, three-quarters of the New World were now occupied by the Marines, and with the formation of this final encirclement.
The pirates in the New World, including the Four Emperors, would soon be annihilated...
Looking at the map of the New World, the Gorosei's minds turned cold, some even blank.
They had overplayed their hand...
This was the thought that simultaneously flashed through their minds.
Their indulgence towards the Revolutionary Army was precisely because they intended to use them to purge the kingdoms or member nations within the Four Seas, so that when the government re-established its rule over the world.
They would no longer have to play the ridiculous game of "World Conference" with those fools, enduring their laughable expressions and listening to their jokes about deciding the world's future.
The Empty Throne, vacant for eight hundred years, would be occupied by that unique King.
Everything was proceeding according to their plan.
But now...
Overnight, it had completely reversed.
The Revolutionary Army had just occupied the Four Seas, and before the World Government could even react, the situation in the New World had suddenly become one-sided under Sakazuki's ruthless strategy.
The tide of pirate defeat was unstoppable.
The World Government would now face a pincer attack from the Marines and the Revolutionary Army. The few members of the Revolutionary Army were inconsequential, but the Marines...
Thinking of their combat power, the Gorosei's heads throbbed.
Aside from Sakazuki, there were legends like Barrett, Garp, and Sengoku.
Just Borsalino, Enel, Zephyr, Satoru, and other Marine Admirals and their candidates numbered nearly ten, and this didn't even include the strong individuals recruited during the Great Marine Mobilization.
The Gorosei wielding a sword snapped back from his thoughts, slowly opening his eyes:
"We cannot wait any longer."
"Immediately issue orders for the Revolutionary Army's secret agents to launch an attack and stall them."
"Dispatch suicide squads to assault all locations suspected of being Revolutionary Army headquarters."
"If anything is amiss, eliminate it directly."
The losses would be immense, but there was no choice...
The original plan was to lure out and eliminate the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon, when they were in the Grand Line, but the current situation clearly did not allow for such a gradual approach.
The Marines' blade had been placed on the World Government's neck overnight, leaving them no time to react...
The curly-haired Gorosei beside him said gravely, "That's all we can do."
The veins on his hand gripping the cane pulsed:
"Damn it..."
"Sakazuki..."
-------------
Deep in the South Blue, at the edge of the Calm Belt.
A large fleet of the Revolutionary Army was assembling here, arriving continuously.
These ships were equipped with Seastone, manufactured using technology provided by Vegapunk, allowing them to traverse the Calm Belt.
There were two landing points for the invasion of Mary Geoise.
One was to cross the Calm Belt between the East Blue and South Blue, entering the first half of the Grand Line, and then attacking the Red Line through the passage near the Sabaody Archipelago.
The other was to cross the Calm Belt between the West Blue and North Blue, entering the New World, attacking the Red Port behind New Marineford, and from there, infiltrating Mary Geoise... but this was clearly not viable.
Therefore, as Dragon slowed his advance, he had gradually mobilized the main forces of the Revolutionary Army to the Southeast Seas, intending to attack from the entrance to the first half of the Grand Line.
On the largest ship at the center.
Dragon, looking at the latest intelligence from the New World, appeared weary. He hadn't slept well lately.
His comrades from the founding of the Revolutionary Army, Kuma, were dead. Ivankov was dead...
His trained successor, the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, Sabo, was dead...
This war was already lost. Without a future, how could they win?
The Revolutionary Army's foundation was too shallow. Despite its explosive growth over the years, it was still too weak.
But now, there was no turning back. Even knowing it was like moths flying into a flame, they had to charge forward.
The World Government carelessly annihilated islands, and Sakazuki detonated the New World, resulting in countless deaths.
How could they allow the world to be controlled by such inhuman methods...
*Knock, knock, knock—*
The sound of knocking echoed.
Dragon put down the intelligence report, pressed his temples, and hid his fatigue:
"Enter."
A Revolutionary Army soldier opened the door and entered:
"Report, Commander-in-Chief."
"All branch fleets have arrived and await orders."
The soldier was somewhat excited. After all, this was a war that bore the fate of the world, and he was fortunate enough to be a part of it...
Dragon took a deep breath, stood up, and walked to the window, gazing in the direction of the Red Line:
"Begin."
As the order was given.
The Revolutionary Army in the Four Seas split into two waves.
One wave entered the Reverse Mountain through the open sea, charging into the Grand Line.
The other wave, the fleet gathered in the East and South Seas, crossed the Calm Belt and directly attacked the lofty 'Holy Land' Mary Geoise...
-------------
Within the New World.
The earth-shattering events of last night had spread throughout the entire New World.
The shadow of death and fear loomed over every pirate. The urge to escape the New World was uncontrollable. Such a Navy was impossible to defeat; why throw away their lives in vain?
The Four Emperors, once seen as dominating the world, now appeared incredibly weak and fragile.
Overnight, the forces of two Four Emperors, Hale·Nok and Red-Haired Shanks, were completely destroyed, and their remnants were being cornered by the Navy and driven towards the center.
If the Navy's encirclement was fully formed, they would all perish.
However, due to the ferocity of the Four Emperors and their subordinates, no one dared to show any unusual reaction, but their hearts had already wavered...
At the same time.
The Four Emperors were engaged in a video conference.
Charlotte Linlin and Kaido were in their respective bases, their faces grim.
Hale·Nok and Red-Haired Shanks, on solidified lava reefs, their scarlet eyes bordering on madness.
The video call had been ongoing for a long time, but no one spoke.
Hale·Nok, struggling to control his emotions, spoke in a hoarse voice, "Let's think of a plan."
Overnight, decades of their lives felt wasted...
They had nothing left. After dominating the seas for decades, they had ended up with nothing.
Hale·Nok and Red-Haired Shanks not going insane was a testament to their remaining rationality, which was already remarkable...
Kaido, on the other side of the video, felt a chill in his heart at the plight of Hale·Nok and Red-Haired Shanks.
Sakazuki's words from that day still echoed in his ears.
He had been deceived that day and hadn't lost anything, but now two individuals who had lost everything were appearing before him.
The fear that had been suppressed resurfaced.
Kaido picked up a nearby sake jug and drank deeply. Gulp, gulp...
*Thud—*
The sake jug crashed to the ground, and Kaido's expression turned grim:
"A plan?"
"What plan could there be?"
"It's reached this point, who can escape?"
Kaido, in the video, grabbed his kanabo, Hakkai-tsuki:
"Prepare for the final battle."
*Snap—*
The image in the den den mush went dark.
Kaido had no interest in further discussion.
Hale·Nok and Red-Haired Shanks had become stray dogs, so it was obvious who Sakazuki's next target would be – either him or Charlotte Linlin.
As for the outcome of this war.
He no longer wished to contemplate it...
In the end, it was all death anyway, and since they were bound to fail, they might as well take a piece of flesh with them...
-------------
New World, New Marineford.
The headquarters had quieted down.
Gone was the clamor of yesterday. At the execution platform in the plaza, under Sakazuki's orders, soldiers were rapidly expanding it.
Every soldier's face was beaming with excitement.
It was as if being able to construct and expand this execution platform was a great honor.
Above the fortress.
Sakazuki, who had pressed the accelerator for this war for world dominance, remained outwardly calm.
He stood by the parapet, gazing at the distant smoke.
And at the execution platform being expanded at a visible pace.
*Tap, tap, tap—*
The crisp, slow sound of footsteps echoed.
Robin walked over slowly from a distance. The immense fires and tremors from last night, even from this far away, allowed one standing at the fortress to see the sky almost entirely consumed by darkness.
This darkness was formed by endless volcanic ash and thick black smoke.
After days of contact at Marine Headquarters, Robin's fear of Sakazuki had mostly dissipated, but even so, she couldn't help but feel a sense of daze.
Those dozens of islands within the black circle, hundreds of thousands of lives...
They were truly all destroyed...
Unconsciously walking up to Sakazuki's side, Robin looked at the smoke-filled sky, her mind unable to suppress the questions:
"Doing this will not only instill fear in the pirates, but also in the common people towards the Navy, won't it?"
"The destruction of tens of islands, news like this cannot be kept secret."
"Does this also not matter?"
Sakazuki gazed at the distant sea and replied, "Didn't Carol tell you."
"Only a few people control this world."
"Everyone else is insignificant."
Thinking of something, Sakazuki's eyes narrowed slightly, and the corners of his mouth curled up:
"The fear of the populace is unimportant."
"Because if I wish, I have countless ways to dispel that fear, and countless ways to intensify it."
"But is their fear important?"
"It is not."
"What is important is..."
"That in the endless darkness of the night, the crimson sky that burned for a night should make those few others unable to sleep."
"Make them fear."
"That is the most interesting part."
"Is it not?"
As Sakazuki said, the other few who controlled this world truly did not sleep all night. They stood at the edge of Mary Geoise and watched for a whole night...
Hearing this.
Robin gave a wry smile and sighed, "Perhaps."
Perhaps her perspective was not high enough to understand the world from the perspective of those, including Sakazuki.
*Swish—*
Carol suddenly appeared, nodding with a smile at Robin.
Then, looking at Sakazuki, she took a deep breath, a hint of excitement in the depths of her eyes:
"Everything is ready, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki."
The equipment brought from Egghead Island was like a warehouse, already transported out and being installed on the expanding execution platform. Decades of planning and struggle had finally led to this day.
This made even the usually composed Carol unable to suppress her excitement.
Sakazuki chuckled and said slowly, "Then let us begin."
"Issue a global announcement."
"Tomorrow at noon, we will commence full-scale war."
"We will publicly execute the world's last three-eyed tribe member, destroy the Poneglyphs, and end the Great Pirate Era that pirate Roger initiated."
"That ridiculous dream of being a Pirate King will be thoroughly shattered by the Navy."
"And notify the Four Emperors."
"They can have their final farewell to this world before the full-scale war..."