Soon, under the order of King Taklama, the underground city beneath the Kingdom of Thutmose burst into motion. Over 30,000 members of the Slave Guard Army mobilized. Weapons, ammunition—even heavy artillery—were hauled out in bulk. Using a network of underground tunnels, they began transporting supplies to the coastal zone, laying layered defenses and traps along the way.
Decades of strength and preparation, forged in the darkness by the Slave King, had now been fully activated.
At the same time, batches of able-bodied male slaves were dragged from their cells. Under tight guard by soldiers on both sides, they were marched in long lines toward the grand golden pyramid. No one knew exactly what King Taklama intended to do with them.
One thing, however, was clear to all: this would be a war. A full-scale battle with tens of thousands of combatants on each side!
Meanwhile, out at sea, Dragon had successfully rendezvoused with the fleets of the 194th, 242nd, and 289th South Blue Divisions. The scale of the combined navy force was now truly massive.
There were five Marine Headquarters-class battleships—each one manned by 1,000 elite marines, featuring dual artillery decks and three triple-barrel anti-air turrets. Altogether, they were armed with thirty-three large-caliber naval cannons.
In addition, eighteen smaller division-class warships were present, each equipped with a single artillery deck and twelve medium-caliber cannons. Of these, eight ships from the 194th Division carried 500 troops each, while the remaining ten carried the standard complement of 300 personnel.
The total naval force amounted to 12,000 soldiers!
While numerically inferior to the 30,000-strong army of the Kingdom of Thutmose, Dragon believed his side possessed overwhelming superiority in both firepower and combat readiness.
Among them was one rear admiral, fifty officers fully trained in the Rokushiki techniques, and several Devil Fruit users—all more than enough to suppress an army of slave-guards whose main duty was little more than keeping prisoners in line.
As for King Taklama—Dragon intended to take him on personally.
According to the intel, the Slave King surpassed him in overall strength. And yet, Dragon felt no fear.
The mere thought of liberating hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians made his blood boil with passion. This was the justice he had always dreamed of!
"Target: Kingdom of Thutmose!!"
Soaring above in a whirlwind of green wind, Dragon issued the order to the vast fleet of 23 warships below.
"Advance!"
...
At 14:00 in the afternoon, the sun was at its most intense. Coupled with the height of summer, the Thutmose Kingdom—being a desert land—had reached peak temperatures across its entire territory.
The blinding sunlight poured down over the endless sea, and one could clearly see a thin mist rising from the surface—water evaporating, distorting the light as it shimmered across the waves.
And then—
Warships began to appear on the distant horizon. Blue-hulled vessels bearing white seagull-patterned sails, bristling with cannons. Four massive ships led the charge, forming the vanguard, while more than twenty additional ships fanned out behind them, spreading across the entire seascape. They surged forward like sea beasts tearing through the surf.
"The Navy is here!!"
On an island amidst a golden sea of sand, the slave-keepers hiding inside cool underground tunnels sprang to their feet at the shout, grabbing their firearms and rushing to the trenches. Eyes locked on the rapidly approaching warships.
No one retreated. They knew there was nowhere to run. The green collars around their necks wouldn't permit a single step back—not unless a withdrawal order was issued.
But those collars weren't without benefit. At the very least, they allowed them to exert their strength to the fullest!
"This is going to be a tough one."
Rear Admiral Ivan frowned as he surveyed the golden expanse of the desert. His voice held a note of helplessness. While his extended Observation Haki allowed him to sense the presence of numerous individuals, with the naked eye, there was virtually nothing to see.
And under these conditions, how was the fleet supposed to conduct shelling?
Meanwhile, the massive fleet began splitting off according to plan. Aside from the flagship and three smaller warships from the 194th Branch that stayed on the main front with Ivan, the rest broke off into groups—each composed of one headquarters-level ship and five branch ships—heading toward the other three directions around the Thutmose Kingdom.
Their mission was to capture the Kingdom, conduct a full sweep of all its affiliated forces, and rescue every enslaved individual. A full-scale encirclement was essential.
"Bring me a sheet of paper!"
Ivan barked at the marine behind him. Once the sailor returned with pen and paper, the rear admiral quickly began recording the troop positions on the island as sensed through his Observation Haki.
Though his range wasn't wide enough to cover the entire island, he had a decent grasp of the enemy forces along the coastal defense line.
And that was enough.
"Have them conduct shelling and deploy troops based on this map!"
"Yes, sir!"
The marine took the paper from Ivan and ran back into the cabin to deliver the orders. Ivan gazed silently up at the sun, which continued to beat down mercilessly with blinding heat and light.
The war had begun.
[BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!]
Fifteen minutes later, the headquarters-class battleship and three branch-class warships had moved into position, turning their broadsides toward the golden sand sea of the island.
The main ship's triple-mounted heavy gun turret swiveled into place, joining with its broadside triple-mounted cannons. Alongside these were twelve large-caliber naval guns, plus eighteen medium-caliber cannons mounted on the branch warships.
A total of thirty-six cannons—large and small—opened fire in a blistering barrage aimed at the slave-keepers' coastal defensive line!
In an instant—
Thunderous explosions rocked the battlefield. Smoke choked the air, firelight soared into the sky. One after another, black shells packed with high explosives arced through the air, leaving glowing trails before slamming into the sand in a devastating firestorm.
The trenches buried beneath the sand were struck repeatedly. Explosions flung up showers of grit and debris. The unlucky were swallowed by fireballs or killed outright by shockwaves.
Fortunately, most managed to retreat into the tunnels in time, minimizing casualties. But the problem remained—their own artillery lacked the range to retaliate effectively.
The gap between naval guns and standard artillery was astronomical. The slave-keeper forces could only grit their teeth and endure the Navy's unrelenting bombardment.
At the same time, small wooden boats could be seen moving quickly across the sea—each one carrying squads of marines armed with rifles and long blades strapped to their backs. Taking advantage of the fleet's suppressive fire, they sped toward the island at full throttle.
As they drew closer to the shore, they were met with fierce cannon fire and a barrage of bullets from the Slavekeeper Corps.
Whether they were marines from headquarters or from the branches, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and push forward.
Meanwhile, on the side of the Slavekeeper Corps, in order to stop the Navy's beach landing, they had no choice but to emerge from the underground tunnels and return to the trenches.
That meant facing bombardment from the four warships offshore. And with Rear Admiral Ivan—the human radar—on the other side, the Navy's firepower coverage was terrifyingly accurate.
In an instant, casualties began to rise rapidly on both sides—among both marines and slavekeepers.
And yet, from a bird's-eye view, it was clear: as more and more marines set foot on the sand, the distance between the two forces was closing rapidly, visible even to the naked eye.
Most of these marines came from Navy Headquarters. Their intense training and rich combat experience became immediately apparent the moment they landed.
In comparison, the marines from the 194th Branch were at a severe disadvantage. Most of the dead were from their ranks.
At this moment, the coastal areas in every direction—east, south, west, and north—of the Thutmose Kingdom had become scenes of brutal, bloody combat.
And yet, strangely enough, there was still no sign of the commanding officer, Dragon. Not even his flagship had appeared.
In truth, King Taklama, seated on the golden throne inside the pyramid, was just as puzzled.
He stared at the real-time battlefield footage being projected by several Den-Den Mushi throughout the grand hall, but not once did he spot a single navy officer in a Justice cloak. All he saw were white shirts and blue trousers—occasionally someone in a navy vest—but at best those were just junior officers.
He had prepared an elite force to counter these Navy HQ powerhouses. So where were the cloaked ones!?
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty—!"
At that moment, a high-ranking official came sprinting into the hall, only to trip and fall hard onto the cold stone floor. Yet he paid no mind to the pain and shouted hoarsely, panting for breath.
"Bad news, Your Majesty! Shabak above us is under naval bombardment!"
"Nonsense!"
King Taklama rose in fury, casting a cold glare down at the man.
"We're deep within the sand isles. Even the longest-range ship cannons couldn't reach us from there."
"But this ship is attacking from the sky, Your Majesty! It's bombarding us from above!"
"What?!"
The king's head snapped upward. Though all he could see was the smooth ceiling above, his Observation Haki instantly surged outward—swiftly and silently scanning above.
And sure enough—just as the official had said—a headquarters-class warship was hovering high in the sky, surrounded by green whirlwinds. Both of its broadsides were unleashing full barrages upon Shabak far below.
Standing at the top of the mast, Dragon faced forward, his Justice cloak billowing wildly in the raging winds behind him.
"Full mobilization!"
With that single command, a massive wave of naval officers and commanders—who had long been waiting in position on the deck—took flight like fierce white eagles. They descended upon the desert city from all directions, raining down like falling blossoms from the heavens.
"Charge!!!"