The soldier's body jolted violently.
Through the circular lenses, a massive shadow could be seen approaching the Red Line within the enormous sea of clouds.
Then, the white cloud mass slowly expanded outward, growing increasingly thinner.
The next moment.
A gigantic island appeared within the soldier's narrow, circular field of vision.
At the very edge of this floating island stood Shiki, his golden hair billowing in the wind, the hem of his clothes flapping fiercely.
With arms crossed and his signature cigar clenched between his teeth, he exuded an air of unyielding arrogance.
As the clouds gradually dispersed, the full silhouette of the island slowly revealed itself in the sky.
Behind Shiki stood the Revolutionary Army, clad in gray-green robes, their numbers vast and imposing.
The core members of the Revolutionary Army flanked him on either side.
Dragon, Ivankov, Inazuma, and the members of Bob's alliance who had been assigned to the Revolutionary Army.
Tesoro, Enel, Brook.
"It's an aerial assault!"
"The Revolutionary Army is here!"
In an instant, the soldier lowered his binoculars and grabbed the large horn strapped to his side, shouting at the top of his lungs.
Immediately, his voice echoed across the entire Red Line, jolting the other soldiers into alertness as they scanned the surrounding thick clouds.
The island was drawing closer—so close now that it was visible even to the naked eye.
"Shiki—it's his floating island!"
Not just the soldiers, but even the higher-ups of the World Government paled in shock.
"As expected, another aerial attack!" Kong's thunderous voice boomed, as if he had anticipated this all along.
Then, his deep tone reverberating over the heads of the soldiers.
"Aim the outermost artillery at Shiki's floating island!"
"Fire!!"
With a furious roar, the soldiers stationed beside the anti-aircraft guns swiftly adjusted the angles of their cannons.
The next moment, the sound of igniting fuses was followed by a deafening barrage.
Jet-black shells shot out from the massive barrels of the anti-aircraft guns, filling the sky with an overwhelming storm of projectiles.
Gleaming metallic under the sunlight, they streaked straight towards Shiki's floating island.
But just then, a tremendous draconic roar erupted from the clouds.
The sound was like a clap of thunder as a hundred-meter-long azure dragon surged through another mass of clouds beside the floating island.
The powerful gales it unleashed were like deadly wind blades, howling towards the incoming shells.
The moment the shells met the raging winds, they detonated midair.
Like a cascade of falling dominoes, the explosions triggered a chain reaction, filling the sky with violent bursts of flame.
"BOOM!!"
The deafening blasts shook the skies and the shockwaves from countless exploding shells scattered the clouds surrounding the Red Line.
The air cleared instantly, revealing an unobstructed view of the area around the island.
Not only was Shiki's floating island now fully visible, but beside it were several pirate ships of varying designs.
To the left of the floating island, a massive vessel shaped like a whale emerged.
At the bow of the ship, Whitebeard stood tall against the wind, gripping his supreme-grade blade Murakumogiri.
His cape fluttered violently in the storm, his muscular frame radiating immense power.
Ace and Marco, along with the other division commanders, stood on either side of Whitebeard, while the rest of his main crew gathered behind him.
Their expressions were serious, eyes fixed on the main forces of the World Government.
To the right of the floating island, Big Mom sat atop Prometheus, her gaze towards Mary Geoise brimming with killing intent.
Her dream was to create a kingdom where all races and beings could live together as equals—where everyone in the world would become "family."
She believed that overthrowing the World Government would make this possible.
This was also why she had agreed to Bob's request and come here.
"Damn it!"
"Three of the Four Emperors are here!"
From his commanding position, Akainu glared at the pirate ships hovering in the air, his teeth clenched in fury.
The three Emperors of the New World were each overwhelmingly powerful—even he stood no chance against any one of them in a one-on-one fight.
"These damned pirates!"
"We should have wiped them out long ago!"
Not just Akainu, but the Five Elders also wore grim expressions.
This time, not only were Kaido and Whitebeard involved, but even Big Mom had joined the fray.
Though, to some extent, in the eyes of the Five Elders—and the immensely powerful figure they spoke of—Yonko-level combatants could no longer single-handedly turn the tide of battle.
Yet their destructive power was still nothing to scoff at.
"Jihahahaha!"
"You think it's just us old-timers, you damn Marines?"
As the words rang out, Shiki the Golden Lion raised his hands and lifted them sharply in two directions.
From beneath the Red Line, a pirate ship bearing a flag with three scars slowly rose into view.
Standing on its deck was none other than the last of the Four Emperors—and the youngest among them—Red Hair Shanks!!
His hand rested casually on Gryphon, his scarred eye fixed on Mary Geoise.
The breeze ruffled his empty sleeve, but it couldn't diminish the overwhelming aura of dominance radiating from him.
On the other side, several more pirate ships emerged alongside the Red Hair Pirates.
The Straw Hat Pirates, the Kid Pirates and the Heart Pirates.
In an instant, the Five Elders' expressions twisted in shock.
"Shanks!"
"Why are you siding with the Revolutionary Army?!"
Compared to the other three Yonko, Shanks' appearance was the most shocking—and infuriating.
Behind the scenes, they had maintained frequent contact with him, even attempting to recruit him to their side.
Yet not only had he refused to join them, he was now aiding the revolutionaries.
"And those rising pirates from the New World!"
"Captain Kid, Trafalgar Law!"
"And... Monkey D Luffy!"
While Akainu was less shaken by Shanks' arrival, his fury towards Luffy and the others burned fiercely.
The killing intent in his eyes was so thick it seemed almost tangible.
On the other side, Kizaru's expression fell when he saw Luffy and the others appear.
"These supernovas is sooooo scary!"