Sabo walked over, his face filled with grief.
"She's asleep."
He was talking about Bonney. After returning in the middle of the night and seeing that scene, she had cried until she fainted several times. Only after receiving Dragon's call did Sabo bring her here to regroup.
Once the news was confirmed, she completely broke down.
As for him, his sorrow was for their comrades.
Hack… Koala… in just one night…
Dragon let out a quiet sigh. "This is not the time to grieve. We don't know when the government will strike again. We must fight for the future of those who are still alive.
"Prepare for battle. The order for the general offensive has been issued. The war has only just begun…"
* * *
August 17th, Year 1520 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
The New World war that shocked the world the day before had only just opened its curtain.
Today, across the Four Blues, the Revolutionary Army, under the command of its Supreme Commander Monkey D. Dragon, issued a general offensive order and formally declared war on the World Government as they advanced on all fronts at once.
Pirates, Marines, World Government, and the Revolutionary Army.
The fighting between the four forces spread across the entire world, and the flames of war threw the world into panic.
No one knew what the future would bring.
* * *
New World, New Marineford.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, Sakazuki was rearranging the sand table based on the latest intelligence.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
A harsh alarm echoed across the island.
Whoosh!
Carlo suddenly appeared in the room and reported, "The Revolutionary Army has just declared war on the World Government, Fleet Admiral."
Sakazuki chuckled softly while staring at the small flags on the sand table.
"So it finally begins, the greatest struggle for dominance in world history, between the Marines and the World Government. Who will be the one laughing at the end?"
As for the pirates and the Revolutionary Army, they were not even part of his final calculation.
Carlo smiled as well. "Yes. It depends on who finishes their battle first."
Whoever ended their war first would seize the initiative.
Sakazuki looked at the sand table and said quietly, "Have Dr. Vegapunk contact Dragon. The Four Blues are manageable, but once they enter the Grand Line, that may not be the case.
"See what kind of support they need. Help as much as possible. I'm really looking forward to the day they charge into Mariejois."
Carlo replied, "Yes."
Whenever the Fleet Admiral showed that expression, it never meant anything good.
* * *
New World, Fruits Island.
An island under Big Mom's command, it was the central point of the third defensive chain before Whole Cake Island and the island currently blocking the advance of the Marine 61st, 63rd, 67th, and 68th fleets.
The one guarding it was Big Mom's eldest daughter. She looked the most like her mother in appearance, though her strength and talent were far from monstrous.
Since receiving orders, the Marines had launched a full assault for an entire day and night, and both sides suffered heavy losses.
The setting sun glowed like blood across the sky, and the sea itself was stained red.
The Marine fleets regrouped and remained stationed not far from the harbor. The soldiers still held their rifles, and the cannons remained aimed at the shore.
On the coastline, behind countless bunkers, pirates packed together as they waited for the next attack.
The beach was soaked in blood.
Bodies of Marines and pirates lay tangled together.
A full day and night of fighting had pushed both sides to their limits. Most of the soldiers were ordinary people. They could not maintain such intensity forever.
The pirates were no different. Many of them were ordinary as well. Not everyone was born gifted.
The commanders on both sides silently agreed to a temporary ceasefire as they prepared for the next assault.
Neither side retreated.
They stayed close, watching each other.
On the flagship of the 61st Fleet, Vice Admiral Hubert, who led the fleet, had a long sword stabbed through his abdomen. The blade had pierced clean through him as he leaned against the wall, drenched in sweat, his face pale from pain.
"Haa… haa… I... I'm asking… is there really... no way..."
Several military doctors were also sweating. After long discussion, they could only shake their heads.
"No, Vice Admiral Hubert."
"The blade is too close to your kidney."
"With the conditions on the warship, surgery is impossible. We can only send you back to the rear base for—"
Hubert suddenly forced himself upright, and the pain made him gasp heavily.
"Haa… haa… haa…"
His hand gripped the sword's hilt.
The doctors' eyes widened.
"Don't!"
Slash!
He yanked the sword out, and blood poured out instantly.
He began to laugh like a madman.
"Hahaha… that's better… that's better!"
The doctors panicked.
"Vice Admiral Hubert, you—"
Hubert raised his hand to silence them. With his other hand, he took out a small bottle from his coat.
Inside was a blue pill.
A special berserk drug developed by the Marines' research division.
Once consumed, it would draw on the user's energy and lifespan to repair injuries and unleash explosive power without limit, continuing until death.
It was a compressed and enhanced version of the nutrient solution once used to torture Doflamingo.
Ignoring the doctors' horror, Hubert opened the bottle and swallowed the pill.
"When I was seven… I was saved by Fleet Admiral Sakazuki. I stood on the ruins of my village and swore to kill every pirate in this world. In the blink of an eye… thirty three years have passed."
His wounds began to close at a visible speed, and his aura surged.
But it was only a final blaze before extinction.
A faint smile appeared on his face as memories of his life flashed before his eyes, from birth, one scene after another, until the moment he turned seven.
The smile slowly faded.
Hubert picked up the bloodstained sword and stood up.
"The oath I made back then… is almost fulfilled. You want me to retreat at a time like this… I can't do it."
His presence reached its peak and continued to rise as he walked toward the exit.
"A whole day and night. And we still haven't taken this island. That is a disgrace. I have no right to meet Fleet Admiral Sakazuki."
Outside the cabin, everyone heard his roar.
"All hands! Prepare to attack!"
Hubert then headed toward the lower deck and pressed his hand against a cylindrical device.
The cylinder slowly split open, and a mechanical voice sounded.
"Thank you for your sacrifice for justice."
* * *
Evening, August 17th, Year 1520 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
After a day and night of fierce assault, Fruits Island, the core island of the third defensive chain before Whole Cake Island, was finally breached amid a towering mushroom cloud.
One of the four fleet commanding Vice Admirals of the Marines, Hubert, killed in action.
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